Guarding Isabella
by lindsay520
Summary: Edward and Jacob are hired as professional bodyguards for the "2011 Isabella US Tour." What will happen when 'professional' suddenly turns 'personal' and feelings start to develop between the soft-spoken superstar and her new bodyguards?
1. Chapter 1

Guarding Isabella

_Disclaimer:__All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

AH: All Human

_Rated: M_

Summary: Edward and Jacob are hired as professional bodyguards for the "2011 Isabella US Tour." What will happen when 'professional' suddenly turns 'personal' and feelings start to develop between the soft-spoken superstar and her new bodyguards?

**Chapter notes: My second story...here we go!**

**Chapter 1 song(s): "Falling Slowly" by Kris Allen**

***Instead of posting a music playlist on my profile page, I decided to list the song(s) right in the beginning under the chapter notes. I recommend playing the song in the background while reading. Sometimes I will mention the song within the story so you know exactly where it fits best. If I don't mention it in the story, you'll just have to guess! ;) **

"Show starts in 10 minutes Jacob, what the fuck are you doing standing backstage?" Jasper yelled.

"I'm backstage duty tonight man, what the hell!" Jacob protested, lifting his arms up at his sides.

"No, Edward is backstage duty tonight, you and Emmett are first and second front stage guards." Then Jasper paused and spoke into his headset. I heard it through my earpiece,

_"We've located Jacob, he's coming out now." _

Then he walked up to Jacob with a scowl. "Your walking on thin ice man, get your goddamn schedule memorized! We cannot afford to have holes in security, especially not with my sister. Now move!" He yelled, giving Jacob a shove toward the stage stairwell which was a bold move considering Jacob was about 3 times the size of Jasper. Jacob quickly jogged down the stairwell and out to the front center stage floor. I saw him take his place a few feet to Emmett's right. The back of their black t-shirts displayed SECURITY in big white letters.

Jasper was head of security on the "2011 Isabella US Tour". He was also Bella's brother. Emmett, Jacob and I were all additional bodyguards. Emmett had been a bodyguard for the past 4 years, ever since Bella had exploded onto the scene and became a national singing sensation. To her fans, she was known as just "Isabella," but to everyone behind the scenes she was "Bella." She was just 19 when she started, but the media compared her to singers like Duffy, Adele, Lilly Allen, and Amy Winehouse. Now at 23, she was touring the country with an entire crew of professionals on 3 gigantic tour buses.

On one bus was Rose, her manager and publicist. Alice, her stylist and make-up artist. Stacey and Autumn, her two back-up singers. Paul and Whitney, the two head stage-hands, and Rachel and Scotty, two additional stage hands. A second bus was strictly used for her band and band's equipment. A third bus was for Bella and her security.

Unlike most major musicians, Bella's touring crew was small. That was how she preferred it. She could easily sell out huge multi-level arenas, but she only performed at smaller, more intimate concert halls. She didn't have an opening act or any fancy stage effects or wardrobe changes. It was just Bella and her band, and the fans were absolutely wild for her.

For the first 4 years of Bella's career, only Jasper and Emmett were needed to protect Bella from overzealous fans and any other potential danger. Then, about a month ago, Bella started to receive disturbing fan mail and gifts from a man who claimed to follow her throughout the country. Jasper didn't think the man was considered a credible threat, but shortly after, Bella's dressing room was broken into and torn apart at one of her shows. Luckily Bella wasn't inside at the time. So Jasper hired Jacob and I to join her security team and we've been traveling with the tour ever since.

Jacob came highly recommended from a well-known Hollywood agency. He had worked with several actors and musicians in the past. My background consisted of personal guarding for several notorious politicians in D.C. I was tired of the scandals involved in politics so I moved to L.A. a couple of months ago for a change of scenery.

I stood with my arms crossed beside Bella's dressing room door. I heard the stage hands giving instructions through my earpiece and watched as various venue workers walked hurriedly around doing tedious little jobs, but mostly taking up space and getting in the way. The dressing room door opened next to me and Alice walked out rolling a rack of clothing behind her. She was a tiny thing with short dark hair and always stood out in bright clothing and sky-high heels. She closed the door behind her.

"Hey Edward! Backstage duty tonight?" She asked cheerfully. I nodded. "Cool, catch you later!" She said, and she continued on her way. Just then, I heard Rose approaching, her high heels clicking loudly on the hard floor. She wore a professional, black pants suit. She was talking fervently into her headset, but not on the same channel as mine. She adjusted the tiny mic in front of her glossy red lips and stopped in front of the dressing room door. She knocked twice and called out,

"5 minutes Bella, you ready?" The door opened and Bella stepped out. She wore a strapless, gathered ivory mini dress and matching satin pumps. Her dark brown hair cascaded over her shoulders in soft waves.

"Yes." She said quietly. Always so quiet. Over the past month I had worked for her, I hadn't seen the girl speak more than two sentences to any of the other crew or security...and we even shared a bus. When she wasn't onstage, she kept to herself. Not in a stuck-up, I'm-better-than-everyone-else kind of way. Just in a shy, apprehensive way, which was shocking since she came to life on stage. She sure fooled the fans. They didn't have a clue what the real Isabella was like.

Rose led Bella to center back stage. I followed, always staying within 20 feet as my job required. Rose and the stage hands gathered around Bella. I peeked out at the crowd. It was a sold-out show as usual, and they were getting noisy in anticipation of the show starting. The lights dimmed and the crowd was on their feet. I watched Bella's forlorn face. She took a deep breath, then turned her lips up into a big smile and walked out on stage.

The show ended around 11:00 PM. It was a little before 1:00 AM by the time the entire crew had loaded onto the tour buses. Metal fence barricades created an aisle from the building to the buses about 10 feet apart and fans were gathered along each side. The venue had their own security lined up along the barricades so our guys focused on getting Bella on the bus safely. Jasper and Emmett walked out first. The fans were chanting "Isabella!" over and over again.

Jacob and I waited inside the building with Bella. She was in between us near the exit. I glanced at her, she had showered and changed clothes in her dressing room. Her damp hair was pulled up into a messy bun and she wore a black hoodie, jeans, and Converse sneakers. Her hands were stuffed in her pockets and she was hunched over looking at her feet.

I saw Jasper enter the bus with Emmett right behind him. A second later, Emmett leaned out the door and gestured for us to follow. I placed my hand on the small of Bella's back and we walked out. Cameras were flashing and the crowd was cheering. One photographer leaned so far over the barricade that Jacob had to move him out of the way and hold his hand in front of the camera lens.

Bella's privacy was very important to her and we did our best to obstruct all unwanted photographs. She didn't mind scheduled photoshoots and fan requested photos, but she hated the paparazzi. She stayed hunched over and I moved my hand from her back to her shoulder, guiding her. Jacob walked up the bus stairs, and Bella followed with me close behind. The driver had the engine running and ready to go. He quickly closed the doors. The bus was soundproof and the silence was soothing.

The buses were extravagant. In our bus, the front room had a white leather wrap-around couch, and two 40" flat screens hung on opposite walls beside several dark, tinted windows. Thick navy blue carpeting lined the front room floor then ended at the kitchen where it turned into gray tile.

The kitchen area had a full refrigerator/freezer combo, and a long stretch of black granite counter with a sink, microwave, and various small appliances. Everything was shiny stainless steel. Opposite the counter was a table that sat four. Cherry wood cabinetry with silver knobs lines the walls above the windows.

Our bus had 6 large bunks, 3 on each side. Each bunk had its own flip-down TV with DVD player, lighting, shelving, and personal closet space built inside the alcove. The bunks each had a thick, dark curtain that pulled along the entire length for privacy.

The bathroom was next, with a full size shower stall, toilet, plenty of shelving for everyone's belongings, and a deep sink inside a large marble vanity. A TV hung on the bathroom wall.

Lastly, was the backroom. Bella's room. She had her own queen size bed, full closet, and 40" TV.

Everyone scattered throughout the bus as it started in route to the next city.

"Good show tonight Bells." Jasper said, giving his sister a quick hug.

"Goodnight Bella." Emmett said, giving her a wave. He pulled his shirt off and climbed into his bunk.

"Goodnight everyone, thank you." Bella said meekly, barely raising her eyes to any of us. She walked down the hall in between the bunks and into her bedroom, closing the door behind her.

Jacob opened the refrigerator and pulled out a beer. "Sorry for the mix-up tonight man." He said to Jasper. Then he plopped down on the leather sofa and cracked open the beer. Jasper rolled his eyes and sat at the kitchen table.

"Just get your shit together Jacob. You know I don't assign new positions in the middle of the week. What's your next position?"

"Friday, Detroit, backstage duty." Jacob answered, pointing at Jasper.

"Thank you. Edward, Emmett?"

Emmett poked his head out from behind his bunk curtain. "Friday, Detroit, second front stage guard."

Jasper looked at me.

"Thursday and Friday, Detroit, personal guard." I responded, sitting across from Jacob on the sofa.

"Good, and I'm first front stage guard Friday night." Said Jasper, running his hands through his hair with a sigh. "Thank God for a day of rest now. Sorry Edward." Jasper said, realizing I was still working tomorrow as personal guard while everybody else had a day off. Personal guard always stuck with Bella until the next show. Even if there was an off day in between, Bella always needed a personal guard with her.

I was just about to stand up to head to my bunk when Jacob spoke up.

"You guys think Bella would want to come out here and have a beer with us?"

Jasper closed his eyes. "No Jacob, I don't think she would like to come out and have a beer." He said in a patronizing tone.

"Geez man, I was just asking. She always seems so down, I thought maybe she'd like a change of pace, y'know."

Jasper sighed. "Well, you'd be down too if you'd gone through what she's gone through." He said quietly.

"What has she gone through?" Jacob asked.

Jasper shook his head. "Just don't worry about it man. Rest up before Friday." Then he walked back to his bunk and climbed in.

Jacob shrugged his shoulders and then turned to me. "Do you know?"

I shook my head and then saw Emmett pop his head out again. "Leave it alone Jacob." He called down the bus aisle.

Jacob sighed, "Everyone's so tense around here. We all need to loosen up." He said, taking a swig of his beer.

I stood up and walked back to my bunk, turning in for the night.

We arrived at a hotel in Detroit late Thursday afternoon. Rose had a cleaning crew waiting in the parking lot to complete the weekly bus cleaning. We climbed off the buses and headed up to our rooms. The assigned personal guard always had an attached suite with Bella. The rooms were separate but had a door in between for immediate access should she need assistance. I carried Bella's bags into her suite. I set them down and headed to the attached doorway.

"Is there anything else I can do for you?" I asked Bella, my hand on the doorknob. She glanced at me, her eyes meeting mine for a split second. Then she shook her head, no. "OK, I'll be right here if you need anything." Then I walked through the door and into my suite.

A short while later, I heard a knock on my outside door and I peered through the peephole. Jacob and Emmett stood there. I let them in.

"What's going on man?" Jacob asked.

"Not much." I said.

"Too bad you're on personal guard tonight, we're all heading over to this bar across the street called Jericho's. There's a comedy show at midnight." Jacob said, sitting down on the sofa.

"Sounds fun. Who's 'we'?" I said leaning up against the kitchen counter.

"Us two, Autumn, Stacey and Rose for sure. We might be able to convince Jasper and Alice to come along. Hey, maybe we can convince Bella to come out and then you can check it out too?" Jacob suggested.

Emmett spoke up. "Jacob, she's not going to want to come out."

"How do you know? Why don't we just ask?" Jacob said.

"Believe me, I know." Emmett said.

Jacob stood up and walked to the attached suite door. "Well what if I worked a little _Jacob magic_? You know, turn up the charm a little?" He said, flexing his pectoral muscles through his tight white t-shirt with a grin. In the next second, Emmett was in front of Jacob and had his hand blocking the door.

"I'm serious Jacob, let her be." Emmett said in a low and quiet voice.

After the guys left, I ordered room service. I ate, then showered and changed into a pair of black basketball shorts and a white t-shirt. I sat on the couch and turned the TV on. It was 8:00 PM. I watched a few episodes of Dexter on Showtime and clicked the TV off around 11:00 PM. I stood up from the sofa and paused. I heard something. It sounded like...crying. I walked over to the attached suite door and listened. It was crying.

I knocked on the door. "Bella? Is everything OK?" She didn't answer. I knocked again. "Bella?" No answer. She could be hurt or in trouble. I had no choice, I opened the door and walked in. The room was dim. My eyes adjusted and I looked around and saw Bella sitting on the floor with her back leaned up against the bed in only a little white t-shirt and white panties. Her knees were drawn up to her chest and her arms were wrapped around her legs. She looked up, her shoulders shaking.

"Bella?" I said, hurrying over to her. I crouched down beside her and started looking her over, my bodyguard instincts immediately kicking in. "What's the matter, are you hurt?"

She shook her head. "I...I'm...fine." She said in between sobs.

"No, you're not fine. You're sitting on the floor crying. What's wrong? Talk to me so I can help. Should I get your brother, or Rose?" I said putting a hand on her warm shoulder. She shook her head. The tears continued to fall. I wanted to get her off the floor at least. I leaned forward and slid one arm beneath her knees and another around her back, then lifted her up. I placed her on the bed and started to pull back, but she clung to me. Her fingers gripped my biceps and she pressed her forehead into my neck.

"_Don't go_." She choked out.

"OK, OK, I won't. What can I do?" I asked. What happened next shocked and overwhelmed me beyond anything I had ever anticipated. She flung her arms around my neck and pressed her lips into mine. What was I supposed to do? I didn't have time to think. I instinctively kissed her back and held her to me. We kissed over and over for at least a full minute. Our mouths moved together as if we'd kissed a thousand times before. At last, she broke the kiss and pressed her forehead to mine with her eyes closed.

_"Please." _She sobbed,_ "I just...need someone. Just be with me tonight." _She said. Then she crashed her lips into mine again and we sunk down to the bed. I was growing harder by the second.

A million thoughts were racing through my head. What the hell is going on? She is so incredibly beautiful. Should I be doing this? She tastes and smells amazing. What brought this on? Jesus her body is perfect. I'm going to lose my job. God I haven't been with a woman in months..."

It was too late to stop now. I was on top of her, kissing her with everything I had. Her crying had slowed and she was now running her hands over my back and grabbing at my t-shirt. She pulled the shirt up my back and broke our kiss to yank it over my head and throw it to the side. She grabbed the back of my head and pulled me back down to her face. Our tongues met and my hands started to travel along her body. I ran my right hand up her side and over her t-shirt, finding her breast and grabbing it gently. She let out a soft moan. She wasn't wearing a bra underneath. Oh my God. My hand drifted down and my fingers curled beneath the bottom of her shirt and I started to pull it up. She arched her back off the bed and allowed me to slide it up and over her head. Our bare chests pressed together.

God her body was gorgeous. I placed several open-mouthed kisses along her neck and listened to her rapid breathing as her excitement built. I moved down her neck and over her collarbone. Then I started kissing over her breasts, bringing my hands up at the same time to grab them as my mouth trailed over each nipple. They were beautifully petite and felt perfect in my hands.

She grabbed hold of my shorts and started to push them down my hips. I kissed down her abdomen and trailed my mouth down her stomach. I helped push my shorts down and off and then climbed back up her body, our lips meeting again. Only her underwear remained and I moved my hand over them to her center. She gasped. She was quickly becoming damp with arousal. Oh Jesus, this was too much. I moved my hand up a few inches and touched the elastic at the top, slipping my fingers underneath.

I moved my mouth and started kissing along her jaw, then whispered,_"Are you sure Bella?"_

Without hesitation, she responded"_Yes, I'm sure."_Then she raised her hips and I pulled her panties down. She helped kick them off and they fell off the side of the bed. I hovered over her, between her legs. Shit I didn't have a condom. I had some back in my room, but that did me no good now. Bella bent her knees up around my hips, waiting for my next move. From sharing a bus, I knew she was on the pill as she always left the package lying out in the bathroom on the bus.

All thoughts stopped as I felt Bella's hand wrap around me and guide me to her opening. She was so wet and ready for me, there was no way I could stop now. I brought my face down to her mouth, kissed her hungrily, then pushed into her. She gasped, adjusting to my size, and brought one leg up and around my hip. _Oh God._It must have been 4 or 5 months since I was last inside of a woman. Oh fuck it was amazing. I started to move, pulling back out and slowly sliding back in. Jesus she was so tight around me. Bella was whimpering beneath me, breathing fast. She was gripping my biceps again, tilting her face up. I kissed her throat and she moaned, the vibration passing to my lips.

I began thrusting and my hand started to move again. I slid my hand up her ribcage and felt the quickened rise and fall of her gasps. I trailed my hand over her breasts, down her stomach, then back up between her breasts. I felt her heart pounding in her chest. Bella's hands moved up my arms, shoulders, neck, and into my hair. She pulled me back down to her face and we kissed again and again.

Soon the pace of my thrusting started to pickup. Bella broke our kiss and I leaned up and sat back on my heels, grabbing her hips and pulling her tight against me. Fuck I was deep inside of her. She sat up on her elbows and we looked into each others eyes. The momentum of my thrusting caused her beautiful breasts to bounce up and down and the erotic sight caused me to tread dangerously close to the edge. I squeezed my eyes closed to regain my composure.

When I opened them again, I saw her eyes traveling all over my body. She propped up on one elbow, and reached toward me with her other hand. I continued to push into her, her legs shook around me with each thrust. She trailed her fingers over my chest and down my abs. My stomach muscles tightened in response to her light touch. She licked her lips.

She leaned back on both elbows again and I reached in front of us. My fingers found the swollen spot between her folds slightly above where our bodies were connected. We locked eyes and I used my index and middle finger to press down on her there. She opened her mouth and grabbed the bedsheets into her fists tightly. It started...

"_Shit_!" I groaned. Bella tightened up around me and she came, squeezing her eyes closed and throwing her head back with a loud gasp. I climaxed hard, falling back over her body, lowering her back down onto the bed with me. My fists pressed into the bed beside her shoulders. The throbbing was never-ending. I continued to push in and out of her over and over again until the spasms slowed and I slowly and gently lowered myself down on top of her.

We laid in silence, for about one or two minutes, our breathing returning to normal. My face was in her neck and she smelled so feminine and wonderful. Finally, I pulled out of her and rolled to the side. She immediately sat up and turned away from me, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. She slid her arms around her midsection and lowered her head.

"Bella?" I said, sitting up and putting a hand on her bare shoulder.

"I'm sorry. I'm...so sorry." She stammered, her voice quivering with emotion.

"Bella, no..." I started.

"This isn't me, I don't do this. I'm sorry...you should go." She said softly, wiping her eyes. Then she stood up and quickly ran into her bathroom, closing the door behind her.

I grabbed my clothes and stood up.

The thoughts started barreling through my head again. What just happened? Was this what she wanted? Did I upset her? Did I just take advantage of her? I'm going to fucking lose my job...

Then I walked back to the attached entry and quietly slipped back into my room, closing the door behind me.  
><strong><br>Chapter end notes: OK, let me hear it. First chapter, first impression. What did you think? I'm anxious for some feedback!**


	2. Chapter 2

Guarding Isabella

_Disclaimer:__All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

AH: All Human

_Rated: M_

Summary: Edward and Jacob are hired as professional bodyguards for the "2011 Isabella US Tour." What will happen when 'professional' suddenly turns 'personal' and feelings start to develop between the soft-spoken superstar and her new bodyguards?

**Chapter notes: I am so happy to see reviews from some of my "regulars" over from my first story, _The Feeder_! Great to hear from you and of course I am ecstatic to have new readers and reviewers too! **

**Chapter 2 song(s):  
><strong>**Parachute "The Way It Was"  
><strong>**Linkin Park "Iridescent"**

I didn't sleep all night. By 6:00 AM Friday morning, I was showered, dressed, and waiting for the knock on my door. Jasper and Rose would terminate my employment and I wouldn't be surprised if Jasper gave me a good beating to go along with it. I deserved it.

At 8:50 AM, my cell phone rang. It was Rose. I took a deep breath and brought the phone to my ear.

"Edward, where the hell are you guys? Bella has a fan meet and greet across the street in 10 minutes!"

"Oh, uh...right. OK, I'll bring her down." I stammered, taken by surprise. I grabbed my dark, gray wool coat and shrugged it on. It was January in Detroit and very cold out. I approached the connected door and took a deep breath. I raised my hand and paused. C'mon Edward, grow some balls, you need to face her. I knocked twice.

After a few seconds, the door opened and Alice stood in front of me, a friendly smile on her face. Her bright yellow top and fuchsia lipstick nearly blinded me.

"Good morning, Edward! Personal guard this morning?" She asked. I nodded. "Perfect timing, we just finished. Catch you both later!" She said, grabbing her suitcase of hair and makeup products and walking out the door.

I stepped in and looked around. The bathroom door was open and Bella was dressed and ready, standing in front of the mirror. Her face was solemn, serious. Then again it usually was. Alice had fixed her hair up into a ponytail and dressed her in a blue, print wrap dress.

I stood frozen to my spot. She turned, flicked the bathroom light off and walked toward the door. She opened it, then turned in my direction, waiting for me. I walked up to her, then lifted her ivory peacoat off the hanger beside the door.

"It's cold out there." I said, holding the jacket open for her. Her eyes quickly flitted up to mine, then she slid her arms into the coat sleeves and I placed it over her shoulders. We walked out of the room. The elevator ride down to the lobby was painfully silent.

Rose was waiting in the lobby wearing another pants suit, in gray. Her shiny gray pumps clicked loudly as she hurried up to us.

"Morning Bella. Edward, we have paparazzi out front, be on your game. Let's go."

The music store Bella was greeting fans at was just across the street from the hotel. As soon as we stepped out into the cold, winter morning air, the shouting and flashing started. I gathered Bella close to me, wrapped an arm around her shoulder protectively, and hid her in the crook of my side. She huddled into me, hiding her face, and we started the short walk across the street.

I felt Bella take a deep breath as we approached the store entrance. We walked in and Bella immediately detached from my side and plastered a huge smile on her face. The fans were lined up in front of a rectangular table. On each side of the table was a shelf display full of Bella's latest self-titled CD "Isabella" and another rack of music magazines with Bella's face on each cover.

We walked over to the table. Bella was waving energetically to her fans. If her music career ever ended, she would be a great actress. I helped her out of her coat and removed mine. She sat down and greeted the first giddy fan with a warm hug and signed an autograph. I scanned the crowd, looking for anybody displaying unusual tendencies. So far, no threats detected.

Bella signed autographs left and right, hugged her admirers, posed for fan photos, and chatted enthusiastically with everyone around her. One young guy got down on one knee, took Bella's hand, and proposed marriage, stirring up the crowd with laughter. Bella giggled with good nature and offered a photo and an autograph. The guy didn't let go of her hand. He kept pleading with her, promising her the world. Bella chuckled some more but tried to pull her hand back. He wouldn't let it go. I stepped in.

"Ok, that's enough. Let go of her hand now." I told him sternly, lifting him up from his knee by his elbow. I towered over him at 6'5". His eyes widened and he backed off.

"Ok, sorry man, just having a little fun."

The meet and greet was supposed to last until 12:00, but there were still about 10 fans in line and Bella didn't want to let anyone down so she asked Rose to extend it until 12:30. The store owner was pleased to extend it.

As soon as the last fan walked out the door, Bella's smile faded and she slumped back in her chair. I slipped my coat on and helped Bella with hers. The owner had locked the doors temporarily until we were ready to leave to prevent additional fans from entering. He thanked Bella for her appearance. As they were shaking hands, we heard a muffled shouting outside.

"Let me in there goddammit! Isabella! Isabella! I love you!" A man yelled, pounding loudly on the floor to ceiling store windows. The glass rattled loudly and Bella turned to me, her eyes wide with fear.

"I'll take care of it." I murmured to her. "Stay right here with Rose." I stormed outside. The guy was pressing his face up against the window trying to catch a glimpse, and had started to kick the glass.

I walked up to him. "Stop. It's over, you need to leave." I said to him, my tone serious. He turned to look at me. He had dark skin, long dreadlocks, and a thin goatee. He wore a short black leather coat and jeans.

"I missed it? Goddammit! Just let me in, please! I won't be long, I just need to see her!"

"No, I'm sorry. You need to leave now."

"Fuck you man!" He said, then turned back to the window and started to pound his fists on the glass. "Isabella! Isabella!"

I stepped forward, grabbed him by his coat collar and spun him around. I slammed his back up against the window and got right in his face.

"I _said_, it's over! Now are you gonna get the fuck out of here or do I need to _take_ you out?" I yelled. He squirmed around, trying to break free.

"Get off of me asshole! I'll leave, I'll leave!" He shouted. I released his coat with a hard shove down the sidewalk and he took off running. I waited until I couldn't see him anymore, then went back inside.

Rose looked up, "Did you take care of him?" I nodded. "Good. Could you please walk Bella back to her suite? She wants to take a nap before the show tonight. Take a couple hours off while she's resting Edward. I'll have Jasper check on her a little later. Just be back by 6:00. I have a cab waiting out front, I need to go prep the venue for tonight. See you guys later." She said, barely taking a breath.

Rose left and Bella and I stepped out into the crisp air. We started across the street. The paparazzi were gone. I kept a hand on her shoulder. The wind was cold and flurries of snow blew all around us. Bella turned into my side, shielding her face.

When Bella was safely in her room, I pulled out my cell phone and called Emmett. He was just finishing up at the gym. He wanted to head back to his room to shower and agreed to meet me at the sports bar inside the hotel at 2:00 PM.

I went down their right away and ordered a burger and soda. I sat by myself at the bar and replayed last night's turn of events in my head.

She didn't tell anyone. Why hadn't she told anyone? What did that mean? Should I talk to her? Should I apologize?

A little before 2:00, Emmett walked into the bar. I stood up and he greeted me by grabbing my hand and bumping into my shoulder.

"How's it going? Enjoying your day off?" I asked him.

"Yeah, when do you get an off day?" He asked taking the stool next to me.

"Not sure. I have to see what Jasper schedules."

Emmett ordered a soda. We never drank any alcohol before a show.

"Can I ask you a question?" I said to Emmett.

"Shoot." He said.

"I know everyone wants to keep it a big secret, but if I'm going to be guarding Bella, I kind of need to know what her story is."

Emmett sighed. "Yeah, I hear ya. It's kind of hard to understand her sometimes." He paused, then sighed. "I'll tell you, but it can't leave our group. No one outside the tour can know."

"Alright." I said.

"OK," Emmett started, leaning in a little, "Back when Bella first started, Rose was just her publicist and she had a former manager named Michael. Michael was the one who hired me. He was about 10 years older than Bella. He launched her entire career. Well, Michael and Bella started seeing each other and two years into her career, they got engaged."

I listened intently.

"See, Michael was an addict. Pain pills, prescription drugs, shit like that. He loved Bella, but at the end of the day, the drugs were his top priority. When he was high, he got pretty violent with Bella and he hurt her pretty bad a few times. Two shows before the 2009 tour ended, he dislocated Bella's shoulder and Rose had to cancel the last two shows stating Bella had "the flu"."

"What about Jasper?" I asked. "He would never allow anyone to hurt Bella. Why didn't he stop him?"

"It killed Jasper to watch this happening, but Michael ran Bella's entire career. He started it all and he could take it all away. Jasper begged Bella to end it, to find a new manager, but Bella cared about Michael. She didn't want to let him go. Personally, I think he had her brainwashed or something."

"So where is Michael now?" I asked.

Emmett softened his voice even more, "6 months ago, just as the 2010 summer tour was coming to an end, Michael and Bella were in their hotel, and Michael was fucked up to the point of delirium. I was in the suite next to them and I heard them screaming at each other. Bella told him she was leaving him and Michael threatened to kill himself if Bella left. I heard more screaming and then a gunshot went off. Michael shot himself in the mouth right in front of Bella. When I got into the room, it was like a scene from a horror movie, and Bella, well...I had never seen Bella in the state she was in before, and I hope I never do again." He said, shaking his head.

Emmett kept going, "Rose worked her ass off in order to keep everything a secret. If this story broke to the public, Bella's career would be seriously jeopardized. Rose paid off the hotel staff and worked closely with the police to keep this out of the media and completely confidential. Nobody found out. Soon after, Rose took on the roll of Bella's manager."

I was shocked. Bella witnessed a gruesome suicide. Not just any suicide, her fiancée's.

I swallowed, then asked, "After everything she's gone through, she still performs? How can she still be performing and touring?" I asked with disbelief.

"Her career means everything to her, and she loves her fans. She doesn't want to let her fans down. She puts on an act for them. She becomes a different person when she steps out onto that stage."

"A very different person." I agreed. Emmett nodded.

I had a whole new outlook on Bella now.

Friday's show went without a hitch and we were back on the road by midnight on our way to Chicago for a Saturday night show. All of us guys gathered on the sofa in the front of the bus. We each had a beer and Jacob put a movie on the TVs. It was some raunchy comedy and I lost interest quickly. I finished my beer and headed back to my bunk. I stopped and looked at Bella's closed door. Then I glanced down the bus. Each guy had their eyes glued to the TV. I took a deep breath, then quickly slipped into Bella's room, closing the door softly behind me.

Bella was curled up on her bed in a black tank top and underwear listening to an Ipod. She jumped up when I walked in.

"_Shh, don't be scared!"_ I whispered holding my hands up in front of me.

"_What are you doing in here?"_ She whispered, tossing the Ipod onto the bed next to her.

"I hate to just barge in like this and invade your privacy, I'm very sorry, but I just need to talk to you for a minute. Will you just talk to me for a minute?" I asked her, my voice soft.

She looked into my eyes, then nodded.

"Look, after last night...I just want you to know that I take my job very seriously and I hope this doesn't affect my position on the tour because you can still count on me as a guard."

She sighed. "I know I can still count on you, you've been great since you joined the tour. And of course it doesn't affect your position. You did nothing wrong. It was me." She said looking down and sitting on the bed.

I didn't know what else to say. "OK, sorry to walk in on you like that. I'll let you be alone now." I said turning toward the door. I put my hand on the door handle then turned back to her, "Bella?" She looked up at me. "I know you've been through hell this past year and everyone handles things in their own way, but...please don't be afraid to come to me if I can help. With anything, anytime. You know where my bunk is. I'm here if you need me."

Bella nodded and I quickly slipped out. The guys were still in the front, loudly laughing at the movie playing.

I crawled into my bunk, pulled the curtain closed behind me, and turned the small overhead light on. The cleaning crew had changed everyone's sheets and the bed was neatly made with the blankets tucked tightly around the mattress. The bunks had plenty of space, and I changed out of my black security t-shirt and into a clean white t-shirt. I took my jeans off and settled down in my t-shirt and boxers. I grabbed my remote from the overhead shelf and clicked my TV on.

About an hour later, I heard the guys shuffling around, entering and exiting the bathroom and climbing into their bunks. Everything quieted down and I crawled under my covers and turned my light off. I was almost asleep when I felt movement in my bunk. I sat up, alarmed, to find Bella climbing through my curtain and into my bunk.

She held a finger up to her lips.

"_Bella, what..."_ I whispered as quietly as possible.

"I can't sleep." She said very softly. "Listen, I..." She started. Then she shook her head. "Nevermind, I better go. Sorry for waking you up." She said quickly, starting to grab the curtain.

"What it is Bella?" I said, just over a whisper. I reached forward and gently took her hand off the curtain. "I just said you could come to me if I can help you with anything. What is it?" I said. She was kneeling and she brought her hands in front of her, twisting her fingers together nervously.

"Well, I just can't sleep, that's all." She said reluctantly. I could tell she was thinking hard, trying to decide what she wanted to do. "Edward...I know I'm being such a pain, but..." She wouldn't meet my eyes and I watched as she bit down into her bottom lip and shifted around uncomfortably.

"Bella, would it help if...you lied here with me tonight?" I said, guessing at what she was trying to say.

"Yes." She said with a sigh of relief. "Yes, I think it would help. I'm so sorry Edward, please don't think I'm crazy."

"I don't." I said, lifting the blankets up. She crawled underneath. I had two pillows so I passed one to her and we both lay down on our backs.

She was careful not to touch me. I realized my heart was pounding out of my chest. There was a beautiful girl, wearing next to nothing, lying inches from me. My mind started to wander. I pictured her last night, her legs spread open, her beautiful breasts...I felt a tightening in my groin. Stop it Edward! This is totally innocent, don't turn this personal. I _couldn't_ turn it personal. I needed this job, I liked this job.

I listened as her breathing became steady. I knew she had fallen asleep and a strange wave of satisfaction washed over me in that moment. In reasons unknown to me, somehow, I had gained Bella's trust.

The next morning, I was awoken by the sound of someone turning the shower on across the bus aisle. I opened my eyes and was immediately aware of Bella's body pressed up against mine. She had turned onto her left side, away from me, but her back was tucked against the side of my body and her bottom was touching my hip. I was already doomed with morning-wood, but now I had her ass pressed against me which made it even worse. She was still sound asleep. I laid still.

Little by little, the guys started to wake up around us. We were still securely hidden behind the curtain, but I started to wonder how Bella would leave my bunk without drawing attention. I think the two of us had an understanding that our little exchange should be kept between us and only us.

I felt Bella start to move. She shifted around, then sat up and turned to look at me. Her hair stuck up in every direction and I had to force back a grin. She was actually quite adorable. I held a finger up to my lips. I sat up, careful to keep my lap covered, and leaned in close to her ear.

_"Let me get out first and occupy the guys up front. Then you climb out."_ I whispered. She nodded. My erection had started to soften so I shifted around Bella and was about to slip out of the bunk when I felt her hand on my arm. I turned and she pulled me by my arm up close to her. My breath caught in my throat.

She wrapped her arms around my neck in a hug and whispered into my ear, _"I slept good. Thank you Edward." _I brought my arms around her and hugged her back. I felt her nipples pressing into my chest through her thin tank top. God, she smelled so good. Stop! Get a grip Edward!

_"You're welcome."_ I whispered back to her.

We were in Chicago. Our buses were parked in the arena's private gated lot behind the building. We would stay on the buses for the day. We didn't get a hotel since we would leave for Milwaukee right after the show. We called these 'bus days'. During this time, crew and band members jumped from bus to bus visiting others to pass the time. Bella came out of her room a few times. Once to get a cup of coffee and another time to grab a slice of pizza that Emmett had brought back for everyone for lunch.

By 6:00 PM, showtime prep had started. Everyone headed back to their buses to get ready. All of us guys stood around our bunks, starting to change into our black security shirts. Alice hopped onto the bus. She was drowning in an over-sized purple sweater with black leggings underneath. She was already as tiny as could be, but tonight she wore flats instead of heels and she looked like a child walking through a sea of huge shirtless bodyguards.

"Who's personal guard tonight?" Alice called out, looking up at each of us.

"Me." Said Jacob stepping to the center of the bus aisle. "Look at Miss shorty!" Jacob mused at Alice's slight form. "I could bench press you with one arm!" He teased, grabbing Alice around the waist and lifting her up.

Jasper yelled, "Jacob, cut it out! Put her down!"

"Relax Jasper!" Jacob said, setting Alice down and shaking his head with a grin. Alice rolled her eyes.

"Put your shirt on Jacob, we're taking Bella to her sound check." Alice said, knocking on Bella's door.

"You got it chief!" Jacob said. Bella walked out in jeans and a white, hooded sweatshirt and the three of them headed off the bus and up to the music hall.

The show started on time. Bella was stunning in a tight black minidress and high-heeled ankle boots. Sometimes I wondered how it was possible for her to walk in some of these shoes Alice dressed her in.

Everything went pretty smooth. Jasper and I worked front stage and we only had to intervene twice. Once when a fan thought he could actually make it past us to climb up on stage. Jasper had him by the collar and kicked out of the building before Bella could even notice.

The other time was toward the end of her set. During Bella's most popular hit, she would always walk up to the front of the stage and allow the front stage guards to lower her down to the floor. She walked across the front row during the song, touching the crowd's hands and sometimes holding the mic out for a fan to sing along.

One overly-excited girl started grabbing for Bella as she walked by. She got hold of the strap on her dress and wouldn't let go. I peeled the girl's fingers off of Bella's strap and gave her a stern warning.

Bella didn't miss a beat. She smiled and kept singing. Once she walked the entire front row, she came back to the center and Jasper and I lifted her effortlessly back up on stage where she closed the show with an enthusiastic,

"Thank you Chicago! I love you all!"

Everything was just about loaded back up onto the buses as we prepared to leave for Milwaukee. Bella had changed back into her jeans and sweatshirt and stood with us guards. We waited by the exit, preparing for the walk back out to the buses. Fans and photographers lined the barricades as usual. Emmett and Jasper walked out first. They climbed onto the bus and a moment later, Jasper leaned out signaling for us to follow. Jacob had Bella by the shoulder and started to lead her out. I followed close behind.

People were screaming from left to right, "Isabella! Over here! Isabella I love you!" Cameras flashed and Bella walked hunched over. We were almost to the bus when suddenly, a guy with a camera flung himself over the barricade. His camera swung out and hit Bella right in the forehead. She cried out and Jacob yelled, "Edward!" over his shoulder.

Jacob quickly whisked Bella away, and they made it to the bus. In the next instant, I had the asshole photographer pulled completely over the barricade, flat against the ground, with my fist flying directly at his face.

**Chapter end notes: So...what do you think about this Edward? You like? I will be posting links to teasers to the next chapters on my Twitter page Lindsay520. Chapter 3 teaser is posted, follow me for the link!**


	3. Chapter 3

Guarding Isabella

_Disclaimer:__All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

AH: All Human

_Rated: M_

Summary: Edward and Jacob are hired as professional bodyguards for the "2011 Isabella US Tour." What will happen when 'professional' suddenly turns 'personal' and feelings start to develop between the soft-spoken superstar and her new bodyguards?

**Chapter notes: Shout-out to jedigirlsc who's been so patiently answering my millions of questions about ways to get the word out about both my stories, TF and GI. **

**Chapter 3 song(s):  
><strong>**"Stolen" by Dashboard Confessional  
><strong>**"Burn the Night Away" by There For Tomorrow**

A few moments later, the buses were in route and all of us were gathered around Bella in the kitchen. Jacob had lifted her up onto the counter and she sat holding a piece of gauze up to her forehead. Jasper was on his cell phone in a three-way call with Alice and Rose who were on the bus in front of us.

"No Rose, she's OK. She's tough. It's a small cut, about half an inch. Yes Alice, easily hidden with make-up. No I don't think she's hurt too bad. Now the photog' on the other hand is another story. He got the worst of it when he got a close-up of Edward's fist in his face."

Once I saw Bella was OK, I headed for the bathroom. I ran my hand under cold water, washing the blood off my knuckles. A minute later, Bella was in the doorway. Her cut had stopped bleeding.

"Edward, are you OK?" She asked walking in and looking over at my hand.

"I'm perfectly fine. It's you I should be asking. Does it hurt?" I said, looking at her.

"Not too bad." She said.

I dried my hand carefully on a towel and opened and closed my fingers a couple of times, stretching and flexing everything in my hand. Nothing felt broken.

"Thanks for taking care of that guy back there." She said softly. I looked over at her and gave her a crooked grin.

"That's my job. Whatever it takes to keep you safe."

Her lips turned up slightly and she quickly turned and walked into her room. Was that a smile?

I took a shower then climbed into my bunk. Bella's scent was still on my pillow from the previous night and it made me smile. I quickly fell asleep. I woke up halfway through the night to find Bella sleeping soundly beside me.

My eyes adjusted to the darkness and I looked her over. _Oh God_. Why did she have to sleep in barely anything? She laid on her back with the blankets kicked halfway off, in just a tiny pair of blue boyshorts and a white tank-top. _Jesus_ her body...it was extremely hard to ignore. The tank-top clung to her, and I tried not to look at her nipples showing through. Stop it Edward. That underwear, her thighs, those legs...seriously Edward, stop going there. You _can't _go there. I forced myself to turn on my side and tried to fall back asleep. It took a while. Damn hard-on.

The Sunday show in Milwaukee went well other than a few technical difficulties they discovered during sound check. The crew eventually got it figured out and the show only started 10 minutes later than scheduled.

Bella slept in her own bed Sunday night. We arrived in Minneapolis early Monday morning. Rose had already arranged our hotel stay in advance and we all headed up to our rooms. I dropped my bags off in my room, changed clothes and headed down to the gym. My phone buzzed around noon and I received a group text sent by Rose reminding everyone on the tour of our weekly meeting in the hotel conference room at 4:00 PM.

We all gathered around a large rectangular conference table. Bella sat on the end in a faded flannel shirt, jeans, and her favorite Converse sneakers. She had no makeup on and her hair was pulled back into a ponytail. She looked extremely tired. Rose walked around the room passing out copies of the weekly schedule. She was dressed casually for a change in jeans and flat shoes.

"OK everyone, we're reviewing this week's details. We are in Minneapolis if you haven't noticed. We are off today and tomorrow. Minneapolis' show is Wednesday. Venue prep at 6:00 PM, sound check at 7:00, showtime at 8:00."

Many of the crew members nodded their heads, listening. She went on to cover the shows in St. Louis and Nashville and confirmed which nights were spent traveling on the buses and which nights were spent in hotels.

"Any questions before we get to personal assignments?" She asked. Nobody spoke up so Rose gave the floor to Jasper. The four of us were sitting at the table with two on either side of Bella. Bella's hands were in her lap and she was looking at the table. I saw her yawn. Jasper stood up.

"Alright, security assignments for the week. Jacob?" He paused and looked over at Jacob. "You listening?"

"Yeah." Jacob said with a slight huff.

Jasper rambled off each of our assignments for the week. For each show, we all rotated between personal guard, backstage guard, front guard 1 and front guard 2. He sat down and Rose stood up to address Bella's weekly appearances.

"OK, Bella, you have a pretty easy week. Tomorrow morning you have two radio interviews. One at 7:00 AM, and one at 7:30 AM. Wednesday morning you have a fan meet and greet at the Mall of America from noon to 3:00 PM."

She turned to Alice who sat beside Jasper. "Alice, 10:30 AM for the Wednesday prep." Alice gave her a thumbs up sign.

"Who's personal guard on Wednesday?" Rose asked, looking at each of us guys. Emmett raised his hand. "Emmett, be ready to take her at 11:30." He nodded.

After Rose, the band exchanged a few words along with stage hand's Paul and Whitney. Rose asked Bella if there was anything she wanted to add. She shook her head.

"OK, is there anything else before we wrap things up?" Rose called out as everyone started to rise from their seats.

"Yes." Jacob called out. "If anyone is interested, I got the hotel manager to reserve the pool for us tonight from 8:00 to midnight. No other guests allowed. I'm bringing the beer. Let's have some fun on our two days off people!" Everybody laughed and a couple of people cheered. Then everyone started to file out of the room.

Emmett was smiling. "Dude, how'd you get the manager to close down the pool?"

"Gave him two tickets to Wednesday's show." Jacob said with a grin.

A little after 8:00 PM, I changed into my swim trunks and a white t-shirt, and threw on some flip-flops. I walked downstairs and into the pool room. Music played loudly from overhead speakers. Almost everyone was there including the entire band. People were dispersed throughout the pool, hot tub, and some at tables and chairs lined up along the glass windows. It was snowing outside, but the pool room was hot and muggy.

Alice was sitting at one of the tables in a neon green string bikini, texting on her phone. Jasper was trying to get her attention to come into the pool. Rose and a couple of band members sat in the hot tub. Jacob was in the pool, playing a game of water basketball with some other band members. The two back up singers sat on the pool's edge, with their feet dangling in the water.

Jacob noticed me and called out, "Beer's in the cooler over by the door. Don't piss off the manager and spill anything in here. No food or drinks allowed, but he's got the hots for me so he's making an exception."

I rolled my eyes at Jacob's comment, then walked over to the cooler and grabbed a beer. I walked over to the table Alice was at and took a seat.

"Hey Edward!" She said, grabbing her beer off the table and taking a sip. Jasper climbed out of the pool and sat down with us.

"I'm texting Bella, trying to convince her to come down here."

"Any luck?" Jasper asked. "I'm sure Emmett wants to hit the pool."

"I'm not sure." Said Alice. "She says she's tired, she didn't get much sleep last night."

We finished our beers and the three of us jumped into the pool. About a half-hour later, the doors opened and the pool room grew strangely quiet. I turned to see Emmett and Bella walking in, both in flip-flops. Emmett wore his swim trunks and I could see the straps of Bella's bathing suit tied around her neck from beneath her tank top.

"Bella! You came! Awesome!" Jacob yelled climbing out of the pool. "Beer's right over here in this cooler." He said grabbing a bottle for himself.

"Bella! Are you coming in?" Alice called out with a huge smile.

"I'm not sure." Bella said. She sat down at one of the tables and Rose climbed out of the pool to join her. Everyone else swam, talked, and sat around drinking beer. Jacob must have spent the next half hour trying to convince Bella to go in the pool. She still wasn't sure. He ended up sitting at the table with her, Rose, and Emmett.

Jasper and I had just started a game of water basketball when we saw Bella rise from her chair. She kicked off her flip-flops, pulled her tank top over her head, and slipped her shorts off. She wore a white halter-style bikini underneath.

"She's going in! Alright Bella!" Jacob called out from the table. Alice swam over to the edge to greet Bella. Emmett and Rose sat smiling at the table.

"Is it cold?" Bella asked, dipping her foot in. Suddenly, Jacob came flying forward, grabbed Bella around the waist and flung them both in the pool. Everyone gasped. Jasper and I quickly swam over to them. Rose and Emmett stood up from their chairs.

They both surfaced. Bella's face was shocked.

"Jacob, what the fuck man!" Jasper yelled, reaching his sister. "Are you OK Bella?" She nodded, wiping water from her nose and mouth. Everyone was silent. Alice was frowning at Jacob.

"Best way to get used to the water! Am I right Bella?" Jacob said, grinning from ear to ear. Bella didn't answer him. "Oh no. Are you pissed?" He asked, leaning his face down, trying to meet her eyes.

"I'm fine." She said.

"Shit, I'm sorry. I was just having a little fun." He said.

"I know. I'm fine, really." She said. "Don't worry about it." Alice and Bella stayed close to the edge of the pool talking, and the guys started their basketball game.

Eventually, the girls got out and went over to the hot tub. Around 11:00 Bella started to dry off and Emmett started to climb out of the pool to take her back to her room.

Jacob stepped in. "Emmett, man, finish your game. I'll walk Bella back to her room."

Bella looked up. Emmett said, "Today's your day off Jake, don't worry about it, I got her."

"No, it's the least I can do since I pissed her off with the whole throwing-her-in-the-pool thing, right Bella?" Jacob said, walking over to Bella and nudging her with his elbow playfully.

"You didn't piss me off, really." Bella said quietly.

"I insist. Emmett, take the rest of the night off, I'll take her upstairs. Just bring the cooler up with you."

"Alright, fine. Pool closes at midnight so I'll be up in an hour." Said Emmett. Jacob threw his shirt on and he and Bella walked out.

Me, Emmett, Jasper, and Alice all played water basketball for the rest of the time. Alice sat on Jasper's shoulders, since she could barely touch the pool floor. Little by little, people headed back up to their rooms. At midnight, the lights dimmed and the four of us climbed out and dried off. We said goodbye to Jasper and Alice. Emmett and I each grabbed an end of the cooler and we headed upstairs.

My room was two doors down from Emmett and Bella's attached suite. We walked into Emmett's room and set the cooler down. I was just about to leave when we both heard laughter coming from Bella's room.

Emmett held his finger up and we walked over to the door, listening. We heard Jacob's muffled talking and Bella's laughter. Emmett raised his eyebrows.

"Wow. I haven't heard her laugh in...forever. Wonder what he's telling her?" Emmett whispered. I was very curious myself.

"Let's go find out." I said. Then I knocked twice and walked in. Emmett followed behind me. Jacob and Bella looked up from where they sat on opposite ends of the couch. Bella had one leg curled under the other with a bag of chips on her lap. She was smiling.

"What's up guys!" Said Jacob. "Join the party!"

"What's so funny in here?" Emmett asked, grinning.

"I was just telling Bella stories from when I worked security on the Kanye West tour. God that guy was such a fucking tool!" Jacob said shaking his head. Bella grinned and popped a chip into her mouth. Jacob turned back to us. "Hey guys, Bella said she'd come out with us soon!"

Bella stiffened up a little. "Not soon like, tomorrow...but soon. Nowhere too crazy though." She said pointing at Jacob. Jacob reached forward and offered his pinky finger to Bella. Bella grinned and they locked pinky fingers.

"Nowhere too crazy, it's a deal." Jacob said.

Emmett and I each sat in a chair across from the sofa. We listened to Jacob's stories and I was fascinated to see Bella smiling and laughing. I had never seen her so comfortable or at ease like this.

By 2:00 AM, Bella started yawning.

Jacob stood up, "Alright guys, we better let the girl get her beauty sleep." We all stood up. "Bella, what'd'ya say, do you forgive me for throwing you in the pool?"

Bella narrowed her eyes at Jacob.

"Oh c'mon! I won't sleep tonight if I know you're mad at me." Jacob said, turning out his bottom lip in a fake pout.

"Fine." Said Bella. "I forgive you."

"Alright, get over here! Let's hug it out Bellie!" Jacob said in a teasing voice. He pulled her into a friendly hug. "Truce?" He asked. Bella shook her head. "No truce?" Jacob said with shock.

"Ooh!" Emmett said with a laugh. "She's planning revenge! Watch your back Jacob!" We all laughed.

"And don't call me Bellie." She said to Jacob.

"Sorry but once a nickname sticks, it sticks...Bellie." Jacob teased.

"Fine," Bella started, "then I'm coming up with a nickname for you, and it's not going to be pretty."

"That's where you're wrong." Said Jacob, "I can make anything pretty." He flexed his pecs.

"Get the fuck outta here man!" Emmett said, shaking his head and rolling his eyes. He gave Jacob a shove toward the door.

"Alright, alright! I'm out!" Said Jacob with a wave.

Bella said goodnight to everyone and we all left.

As I was lying in my hotel room, trying to fall asleep, I got to wondering...the night Bella and I...hooked up...if Emmett or Jacob had been on personal guard that night, would it have been them instead of me? I brought my hands up to my head and slid my hands down over my face with a sigh. Shit. It _doesn't matter_ Edward. I turned on my side and eventually fell asleep.

Jacob texted me Monday morning asking me if I wanted to hit the gym. After our workout, we met Jasper and Alice down the street at a restaurant for lunch. We sat in a booth, talking and eating. Alice was looking at her phone and sighed.

"What's up shorty?" Jacob asked, noticing Alice.

"Rose is texting me. Apparently Bella's radio interviews didn't go as smoothly as they could have. Rose said Bella couldn't sleep last night."

"Shit. We kept her up too late." Jacob said, looking at me.

"What do you mean?" Jasper asked.

"Edward, Emmett and I were up partying with her in her room." Jacob said with a chuckle.

Jasper frowned. "Partying? She let you _party _with her?" Jasper asked.

"We were just up all night talking, sharing stories, stuff like that. She had a good time." Said Jacob. Jasper glanced at Alice and raised his eyebrows.

I stared into my drink. Bella was yawning when we left, she was tired. She had slept soundly on Friday and Saturday with me in my bunk, but Sunday and last night, we slept apart. Apparently I was helping her sleep. Well, not me, my presence was helping her sleep. Huh. OK. I guess...if I'm helping...

Later that night, around 11:00 PM, I was pacing in my hotel room. Why the fuck was I pacing? Because you don't have the balls to do it Edward. Just go. Just walk down the hall and knock on her door. What's the big fucking deal? It's totally innocent. It's not a sexual thing. You want to help.

"Shit." I mumbled, running my hands through my hair. That's it, I'm just going to do it. I walked to the door and grabbed the handle, but someone knocked softly from the other side. I blinked once, then opened it.

Bella stood there in a little pink t-shirt and cotton shorts, looking terrified.

"Long time no see." I said to her with a crooked grin. "Get in here." I said with a slight teasing in my tone. I stepped aside and she walked in with a sigh. We crawled into my bed. This time, she lay on her side, facing me.

_"I know you think I'm crazy."_ She whispered. _"I'm sorry."_

"I don't, and you shouldn't be." I said to her. "Get some rest, you need it."

She was asleep in less than 5 minutes.

**Chapter end notes: I'm loving your reviews, keep them coming! Long or short, even the one-liners I appreciate. Link to Chapter 4 teaser on my Twitter page Lindsay520.**


	4. Chapter 4

Guarding Isabella

_Disclaimer:__All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

AH: All Human

_Rated: M  
><em>

Summary: Edward and Jacob are hired as professional bodyguards for the "2011 Isabella US Tour." What will happen when 'professional' suddenly turns 'personal' and feelings start to develop between the soft-spoken superstar and her new bodyguards?

**Chapter notes: Thank you to those who rec'd my story at The Lemonade Stand on FB! I am overwhelmed by the amount of readers who found GI through a FB rec, wow! And thank you to those who are tweeting/retweeting about GI. Shoutout to Siobhan Whitlock for always cracking me up with anything you ever say! You're a good guesser and thanks for keeping it a secret! So** **Chapter 4...I certainly hope I don't piss anybody off in this chapter! Either way, pretty please pull up the song "Sail" by Awolnation as soon as I mention it in the chapter...it will really intensify things.**

**Chapter 4 songs:  
><strong>**"Sail" by Awolnation  
><strong>**"Apologize" by One Republic (w/o Timbaland)  
><strong>**"Beneath These Fireworks" by Matt Nathanson**

The next morning, Bella snuck back into her room early enough so that Emmett didn't even know she was gone. She was well-rested and ready for her appearance at the Mall of America.

I worked out and ran errands around town. Emmett's shift ended after the meet and greet, and Jasper took over personal guard for the night.

Emmett, Jacob and I met at the hotel's restaurant to eat and Emmett told us that he almost had to call us in to Bella's appearance. The mall was swarming with people and he couldn't get her through to the music store, due to so many fan interruptions on the way in. She arrived 20 minutes late to the appearance.

We all headed back to our rooms to change and pack up our bags since we would be leaving for St. Louis after the show that night. I dropped my stuff off at the bus and headed to the concert hall for backstage duty.

The show was perfect. We were back on the buses and in route by midnight. Jacob had actually convinced Bella to have a celebratory drink with us. We sat on the couch and toasted to a great show. Emmett turned the TVs on and Bella actually stayed to watch a movie. She didn't last through the end though. She fell asleep on the couch between Emmett and Jacob 30 minutes before it ended.

I watched as Jacob carefully picked her up off the couch and carried her to her bedroom. My eyes were fixed on them as he entered the room and the door swung closed behind him. 30 seconds passed, he hadn't come out yet. What was he doing in there? 30 more seconds passed. For real, what the fuck was he doing in there? The door opened and he walked out, softly closing it behind him. He climbed into his bunk. I sighed.

We all went to bed and I made sure to leave enough room next to me in case Bella wanted to come in. I woke up the next morning alone. Well...good. She must be sleeping better now.

Thursday was spent on the buses. No point in getting a hotel if we'd be leaving after Friday's show. A few of us explored St. Louis. Me, Emmett, Rose, and Jacob, all went to see the Gateway Arch and stopped at a restaurant and a few stores. Then we spent the evening bus-hopping and cooking out.

Later in the evening, Jacob started a game of poker inside our bus and had nearly the whole crew either playing or sitting around watching. Even Bella came over to watch. She even had a beer, much to Jasper's surprise.

I grew tired of watching the poker game and grabbed a lawn chair beside Jasper and Alice outside the bus doors.

"How's it going guys?" I said as I sat down.

"Good, good. It's been a quiet couple of weeks, thankfully. No strange gifts or fan-mail coming in other than the usual stuff."

"Where is that stuff sent anyway?" I wondered.

"Rose has a P.O. Box back in L.A. where she has someone on her publicity team go through it every day. They report anything odd to Rose and she tells me."

I nodded. Jasper continued, switching topics.

"It's so strange to see Bella coming out and trying to enjoy herself." He said, more to Alice than to me.

"It's good for her." I said. Jasper looked at me. "Emmett told me." I said, referring to Bella's history. Jasper nodded with a sigh.

Alice chimed in. "I agree, it is good for her. It's good to get her mind off of things."

"Y'know, I hate to admit it, but I think Jacob is bringing her out of her shell." Said Jasper. Alice nodded, agreeing.

Suddenly we heard roaring laughter from inside the bus. We all hopped up and walked inside.

"Deal 'em up EEGAH!" Emmett shouted sliding the cards over to Jacob. Jacob had a funny look on his face and Bella sat a few feet next to him laughing into her hands.

"What's going on?" Alice asked smiling. Emmett turned toward us, he was a little drunk.

"Bella came up with her nickname for Jacob. Jacob, is "EEGAH"! He roared, and everyone started to laugh again and a few people echoed the word, shouting out 'Eegah!' again. I couldn't help but laugh too. OK, Emmett was more than a little drunk.

"What is Eegah?" Alice asked chuckling. Bella looked up, her face red from laughing.

"It's a movie from the 60's. Eegah was this giant caveman, like 7 feet tall. See a resemblance?" She asked, holding her phone up. She had pulled up a picture of the character on the Internet and had shown everyone a few minutes ago.

"I think he's a rather strapping gentleman." Jacob said, trying to defer the teasing.

"Yeah, OK, whatever you say EEGAH!" Emmett shouted, downing his beer. The laughter filled the bus again.

They started their game back up and Jasper, Alice and I went back outside. Around 1:00 AM, everyone started heading back to their bunks for the night. I walked inside and down the bus aisle toward the bathroom. Jacob's bunk curtain was pulled open and as I passed, I saw him and Bella sitting on his bed, cross-legged, facing each other. Bella appeared to be showing Jacob something on her phone. They were talking and Bella was laughing.

When I exited the bathroom, Bella was climbing out of Jacob's bunk.

"G'night Bellie, sleep tight!" Jacob called out to her as she walked to her room. He pulled his curtain closed. She passed me and we made eye-contact. She held my gaze for a moment, then walked into her room and closed the door.

Within 15 minutes, the bus was quiet and dark. I lay on my back with my arms behind my head. For some reason, I kept picturing Bella sneaking out of her room and climbing into Jacob's bunk for the night. Jesus Edward, it doesn't matter, quit being such a fucking pansy. She can do whatever she wants, it _doesn't matter_. Shit, maybe it matters. I saw my curtain stir and my heart skipped a beat. Bella climbed in and I leaned up on my elbow, greeting her with a smile.

After the St. Louis show on Friday and the Nashville show on Saturday, everyone was relieved to have Sunday and Monday off. Jacob was working as personal guard for Sunday and Monday. We arrived at our hotel in New Orleans Sunday morning. I was just leaving the gym when I got a text from Jacob:

_"Bella's coming out with us tonight!"_

Around 10:00 PM, I changed into a faded vintage t-shirt and jeans and headed downstairs. Since Bella didn't want to go anywhere too crowded, we decided to just take her to the hotel bar on the first floor. It was a pretty decent bar and the crowd was mostly young. Jasper, Alice, Rose and Emmett sat at a table. I pulled up a chair and joined them. A waitress came up and I ordered a drink. About 10 minutes later, Jacob and Bella came walking in. Since Jacob was on duty, he couldn't drink tonight.

"_Eegah_! Bells, what's up guys?" Emmett said smiling. Jacob greeted everybody and Bella smiled nervously. She wore a simple, black v-neck t-shirt, dark blue skinny jeans, and of course her favorite Converse sneakers. Her hair was down and she had just a little make-up around her eyes. She looked casual, but very pretty tonight. Not that she didn't other nights, but tonight she obviously did her own hair and makeup and it was more subtle than her stage-look. I liked this look on her. I wanted to tell her, but decided to keep it to myself.

Bella ordered a drink and we all started talking. A couple of fans approached the table and Jacob placed his hand protectively on the back of Bella's chair. Bella smiled politely and agreed to a photograph.

Everyone was laughing and Bella had really loosened up by her third drink. It was a good time. She was joking around and teasing everyone. It was actually pretty cute.

At one point, a group of 4 guys came up to Bella, Jacob stood up. Jasper, Emmett and I all sat up a little straighter in our chairs. Even off duty, it was hard to ignore those protective instincts. The guys started asking her about the tour and then asked her to join them in a round of shots. She was friendly and charming, accepting the shot. Jacob did his job well, not needing to intervene, but still keeping his presence known in an intimidating stance beside her. The guys were very aware of him and didn't over-extend their visit.

As the night progressed, Bella was amusingly drunk, as were the rest of us. Jacob was stone sober. My head was pretty fuzzy but I noticed Alice and Jasper sneak off around 1:00 AM and was pretty sure they were going off somewhere to get it on. If they thought they were hiding it from anyone, they were mistaken. I had assumed for some time now that there was something going on between them. They had never admitted it though.

About half an hour later, Emmett was nearly falling out of his chair and Rose helped him back up to his room. It was just the three of us now and Bella was having a blast. She was dancing to the music and slurping her drinks through a straw. She signed some autographs and talked energetically with Jacob and me. One of her fans bought our table a round of shots and since Jacob couldn't drink, I took two and Bella took one.

It was bar-close. My head was floating. I haven't been this drunk in a very long time. Jacob had to help Bella out of her chair and we walked to the elevators. Bella couldn't stop giggling and I was laughing because I couldn't remember where my fucking room was!

As we rode the elevator up, Bella challenged me to a secret taste-test from the mini-bar up in her room. We were both stumbling and laughing hysterically as Jacob led us to their attached suite. We made it inside and Bella concocted a drink for us in an ice-bucket. It smelled like shit and I dared her to try it first. She said she'd drink half if I drank half. Challenge accepted!

I gulped half the bucket down, honestly too drunk to taste anything now. Bella was cracking up and she downed the rest of it. Jacob stood shaking his head. Bella kicked off her shoes and turned on some music. She cranked up "Sail" by Awolnation. She climbed up onto the bed and stood there, swaying to the music. I walked over to her, stepping up to the edge of the bed.

She grabbed my shirt collar, oh shit, and plowed into my mouth, kissing me. I noticed Jacob from the corner of my eye. Shit. I think he was saying something but I couldn't quite make it out, the music was too loud. Then Bella pulled away from my mouth and grabbed Jacob around the neck, pulling his face to hers. She kissed him hungrily and my head just about exploded. What...was...happening? Then she broke her kiss with Jacob and turned back to me. She pressed my shoulders down and I knelt down on the bed. She knelt down herself and began kissing along my neck. Then Jacob was there, kissing along Bella's neck.

Bella's hands were traveling up my stomach and she started to pull my shirt up. She tore my shirt off and then turned to Jacob. Jacob claimed her mouth and they kissed, tongues mingling. Jacob pulled his own shirt off and Bella moved down his neck and started to kiss down his chest and stomach. As she did so, she reached over and started to rub my dick through my pants. Oh God.

I saw Jacob grab Bella's shirt and she pulled back for a second to let him pull it up and over her head. She came back to me then and we started to make out. Her hands were all over me. I found my hands traveling behind her and I unhooked her bra. It fell down her arms and she tossed it aside. Jacob was behind her and I was in front of her. Jacob was kissing up her back and neck. He brought his hands in front of her body and grabbed her breasts. Bella broke our kiss and leaned back, finding Jacob's mouth over her shoulder, they kissed over and over, his hands still groping her breasts.

I felt Bella's hand on me and looked down. She had one hand rubbing over my pants and the other hand rubbing over Jacob's pants. She pulled away from Jacob's mouth and started to grab at my belt buckle. She un-did my belt, and pushed my pants and boxers down, taking me in her hand. Oh...Jesus! A moment later, Jacob's pants were down and she had him in her other hand. She started to stoke both of us at the same time.

She leaned toward me and started to lick and kiss along my jaw. Jacob was leaning forward, kissing and sucking along Bella's shoulders and neck. She turned back to him and their mouths and tongues met. I saw Jacob's hands travel down to Bella's pants. She allowed him to pop the button and un-zip her jeans. She let go of each of us to slide her pants down. She was in nothing but a pair of black panties now.

Fuck it, I pulled my pants the rest of the way off and dropped them with my shoes, onto the floor. That's when Bella got down on all fours and took me in her mouth. _Oh God, oh shit_! She started to bob up and down on my dick. Jacob had pulled his pants and shoes off too and was beside her. She reached for him and started to stroke him with her hand while she ran her tongue up and down my shaft. I saw Jacob run his hand down her back, slip his fingers beneath the top of her underwear and slowly pull them down. Once they were off, he ran his hand over her ass and down to her center. He found her opening and slid his fingers inside, causing her to moan around my cock. Then she released her mouth from around me and leaned over to Jacob, taking him in her mouth.

Then, moments later, Bella was turned around and I was taking her from behind while Jacob knelt in front of her. I pushed into her from behind as her head bobbed up and down on him. His hand was on the back of her head. Everything was spinning. The room was spinning in one direction and the three of us were spinning in the opposite direction. I held onto her hips and thrust into her over and over.

I was losing my mind. This wasn't happening, it wasn't real. But it _was_ real...shit...I lost it and came inside of Bella, squeezing my eyes closed tight as everything exploded in pleasure and then suddenly turned numb. I pulled out of her and my hands flew up to my hair, grabbing onto it, my eyes still closed. When I opened them, an opened condom wrapper lay next to Jacob on the bed and he was bouncing Bella up and down on his lap.

I was...dizzy...dizzy...extremely dizzy. I was...spinning. I was...out.

When I lifted my face up from the mattress, sunlight was streaming into the room. Too...bright. A high-pitched ringing filled my ears. Where the fuck was I? I lay flat on my stomach, on the foot of a bed. I squeezed one eye closed and squinted through the other eye, looking around me. A hotel room. The blankets were all pushed off the bed and lying on the floor. I turned my head and saw...Bella...shit...lying naked across the bed. I abruptly sat up. She was still completely out.

Then it all came rushing back to me like a fucking freight train slamming straight into my head at full speed. Last night...drunk...Me...Bella..._Jacob_...oh-my-fucking-God.

I looked around the room, Jacob wasn't here. My jaw clenched. I quickly found my boxers and jeans and pulled them on, not bothering to zip them up or fasten the belt. Then I went over to the attached door and barged through it, slamming it behind me. Jacob was just walking out of the bathroom, showered and buttoning his jeans. He saw me and froze. I stormed up to him and shoved him in the chest with both hands.

"Whoa man, take it easy!" He said.

"You were _on duty_ mother fucker!" I screamed at him. "What the_ fuck_ were you thinking?"

"Hey now, nobody got hurt, Bella wasn't in any danger." He said, holding his hands up to his sides.

"Bella and I were both drunk off our fucking asses! You were sober! Why would you go along with that shit?" I yelled.

"Edward, c'mon, we were just having a little fun."

"You were_ on duty_!" I yelled again.

"Hey, I won't say anything if you won't." He said shrugging his shoulders.

I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose.

"I don't have the fucking energy or patience to deal with this bullshit." I snapped, walking back to the door.

I walked through and pulled it closed behind me. Bella wasn't on the bed anymore. I found my shirt and quickly pulled it on. I grabbed my shoes and started for the door, zippering my jeans and fastening my belt. I noticed the bathroom door was closed. I slowed down as I passed it and heard crying. I was sure she heard everything. Did she feel bad? She should. Maybe she needs to feel bad for the way she acted last night.

Frowning and shaking my head, I left her room, slamming the door loudly behind me.

I went back to my room and showered, then tried to eat something. I felt like shit and only managed to take a few bites of a bagel. My head was pounding. I tried to lie down to rest a little more but my mind was racing and I needed to clear it. I went for a walk. I walked around town, watching the people, looking at the buildings, and listening to the traffic all around me. It was distracting and I needed that.

Emmett texted me to see if I wanted to go to the gym. I ignored him. I didn't want to see anybody right now. Eventually I headed back to my room. I fell onto my bed and laid there looking at the ceiling, trying not to think about anything. I'm not sure how long I laid there. I thought I heard a knock on my door.

I sat up. It had grown dark outside. There it was again. Yes, somebody was knocking. I walked over to the door and pulled it open.

Bella stood there, in a sweatshirt and jeans, looking at the floor.

"Jesus Christ." I muttered under my breath, pinching the bridge of my nose again. I really didn't need this right now. "What is it?" I asked her coldly.

"Can I talk to you?" She asked quietly, stepping into my room.

"No, and I don't think you should be here right now." I said holding the door open.

"Well if not now, then when? When can I talk to you?" She asked, her voice quivering with emotion.

"Talk about what Bella?" I said a little louder than I had attended. I gave up and closed the door. "Please tell me. What would we talk about?"

"Edward..."

I cut her off, "I'm here to work. For you. This is my job. This is how I earn a living. My job is important to me. So if you want to talk about how I can do a better job of protecting you, as your _body guard_, then go ahead, humor me."

She started to cry. Great. I looked away from her.

"I wanted to apologize!" She sobbed. I shook my head and crossed my arms in front of my chest.

"Edward, I have _never_ done anything like that before!"

I took a step toward her and looked her right in the eye. "Yeah, just like you'd never done anything like the night we were together! Jesus Bella, get real!"

_"I haven't!"_ She cried out. "I swear to you! You were the third guy I had ever slept with!" She yelled. "I'm not that girl who sleeps around, I swear on my life Edward!" The tears were streaming down her face now. I didn't say anything.

"You know what?" She said, trying to steady her voice, "Fine. If this is what you think of me now, I guess I brought it upon myself. OK Edward, this is me. I'm just a whore who sleeps with anyone who crosses my path. I guess I proved who I am."

I looked directly into her watery eyes, then responded, "I guess you did." Then I opened the door for her to leave and she walked out in tears.

**Chapter end notes: Can't wait to read your reviews on this one. Let me hear it! Link to Chapter 5 teaser on my Twitter page Lindsay520.  
>If you're curious about the Eegah reference, here is a link to the movie facts http:www(dot)imdb(dot)com/title/tt0055946/**


	5. Chapter 5

Guarding Isabella

_Disclaimer:__All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

AH: All Human

_Rated: M  
><em>

Summary: Edward and Jacob are hired as professional bodyguards for the "2011 Isabella US Tour." What will happen when 'professional' suddenly turns 'personal' and feelings start to develop between the soft-spoken superstar and her new bodyguards?

**Chapter notes: ****HELLO chapter 4 reviews! I could hardly keep up with my responses…more and more just kept coming in! Thank you! There were mixed emotions of course, but the majority could be summed up in just a few letters: OMG and WTF. I appreciate ALL of your thoughts and enjoyed reading everyone's responses. On to chapter 5!**

**Chapter song(s):  
><strong>**"New Low" by Middle Class Rut  
><strong>**"Say (All I Need)" by One Republic**

The next afternoon, I received the text that our weekly meeting was in the hotel conference room at noon. When I walked in, the first thing I noticed was Bella wasn't there. Jacob wasn't there either as he was still personal guard through Tuesday, so he had to stay wherever Bella was.

Rose passed the schedule out.

"OK, listen up people, major change in this week's schedule. Tomorrow's show is canceled." The room started to buzz, Rose continued. "Bella called me this morning, she has a sore throat and wants to rest. Let's hope she gets over it quickly because we have a busy week."

Rose went on to cover the rest of the week. She had an appearance at a cafe in Austin, Texas on Wednesday night followed by the Austin show Thursday and a full weekend of shows. Friday in Oklahoma City, Saturday in Santa Fe, and Sunday in Denver.

Jasper stood up and gave us our weekly assignments. Then Rose spoke to the band for a few minutes.

"OK everyone, that wraps things up. Everyone may leave except security please." Said Rose. Once the room emptied, Jasper stood up and turned toward Emmett and me.

"OK guys, I will fill Jacob in since he's on personal guard now, but we have a possible threat that needs to be addressed. Rose's L.A. team received a letter yesterday. There is a fan that is supposedly going to attend the Wednesday appearance in Austin. Bella is scheduled to perform three acoustic songs at a cafe called Breaking Ground at 8:00 PM. Edward is scheduled as personal guard, but I want all four of us there for back-up in case this guy is for real."

"What did the letter say?" Emmett asked.

Rose pulled out her phone and read the email sent by her staff,

_My beautiful Isabella,_

_Wednesday cannot come soon enough. When I take you into my arms, you will be home. I will finally get to look into your eyes and touch your face. I will finally be able to watch your eyes light up when you hear what our future holds. This will be the beginning of a new and wonderful life together. All we need is each other. _

_Forever yours,  
><em>_L_

She put her phone down and Jasper spoke up, "We are not telling Bella about this. It would only upset and worry her."

Emmett and I nodded.

The next evening, we boarded our buses and prepared to leave for Austin, Texas. I was sitting in the kitchen and Jasper and Emmett sat on the couch in the front room. We were waiting for Jacob and Bella. I stared out the window. There they were. Jacob had his hand on Bella's shoulder. They were walking toward the bus. Bella was hunched over, looking at the ground. Right before they reached the door, Jacob leaned down and whispered something into Bella's ear. She didn't look up or say anything, just nodded her head. They boarded the bus and Bella walked straight past me without a glance and into her room.

"How's it going guys?" Jacob said. Emmett and Jasper said hello and Jacob walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. "Edward." He said, acknowledging me with a nod.

"Jacob." I said back. As sick as he made me for what he had done, there was no way I was going to let it affect my job. We needed to be civil. I sensed that Jacob knew that as well and was glad he was capable of being mature about _something_. Jacob grabbed a bottle of water and walked into the front room.

He let out a loud sigh as he dropped onto the couch, "Aaahh! Eegah's ready for a night off!" He said, referring to himself in the third person.

"Dude," Emmett said, "you can't refer to yourself using your own nickname, it doesn't work that way."

"That's how _I _work buddy!" Jacob replied with a grin. They all talked and watched TV. I eventually joined them.

"Hey," Jasper asked, turning toward Jacob, "Is Bella feeling any better?"

Jacob hesitated, then said, "Uh yeah. She is. She wasn't so great yesterday, but today is a little better."

I stood up and said goodnight, then headed to my bunk and turned in for the night. As I lay in my bed, I finally allowed myself to think about what had happened the prior night. It was a crazy, drunken mistake. Not drunk for Jacob, but for myself and Bella. I certainly had never done anything like that before. I had been with my fair share of women, but always one on one. I stared at my ceiling and shook my head...I had a _threesome._ Jesus. Guess that's one thing to cross off my bucket list, not that it was ever on there in the first place.

I just didn't know what to think about Bella. She could _say_ she is not that girl. She could _say_ she's never done anything like this...but was she being truthful? For the second time, she acted on impulse...with sex. If that wasn't the type of girl she was, then how can she explain both situations?

And Jacob...to take advantage of the situation like he did...it was a new low. I always got along with Jacob. He was a decent guy, but he was thinking with his dick and not his head. He was an excellent bodyguard to Bella, but on a personal level, I wasn't sure if his motives couldn't be trusted. Frankly, I didn't like how friendly he was becoming with Bella.

As much as I wanted to deny it, I knew I cared about Bella. On what level? Of course I cared for her on a professional level. Protecting her was my job. On a personal level...shit...I just couldn't bring myself to go there yet. Something was there. As much as I wanted to ignore it, I couldn't. _Something_ was there.

Wednesday morning, we arrived at our hotel in Austin. Jasper, Emmett, and Jacob all went up to their rooms. I was personal guard for Wednesday and Thursday and I waited on the bus for Bella to exit her room so I could take her up to her suite. I sat at the kitchen table, looking out the window. A couple of people were gawking at the buses trying to figure out who might be in town. I heard Bella's door open and stood up.

When I turned, she was walking down the bus aisle dragging her luggage. I met her half-way and reached to take her bags.

"I've got it." She said coldly, hoisting a duffel bag over her shoulder. She continued past me dragging a suitcase behind her. I followed and watched her clunk it down the bus steps. She headed toward the hotel and I stayed close behind her the entire time. The duffel bag started to slide down her shoulder and she slowed down to lift it back up her shoulder.

"Bella, let me..." I started, reaching out for the bag.

"I said I've got it." She snapped, looking at me for the first time since back in New Orleans.

We headed up to the suite and Bella carried her bags into her room and closed the door behind her, leaving me out in the hallway. I sighed, then entered my room directly next to hers.

As I sat in my quiet room, I listened to various voices out in the hallway, hotel room doors opening and closing, food trays clamoring as hotel staff brought and took away guest meals, and the occasional cell phone ringing. I frowned; the walls in this building were thin. Bella wasn't going to get much sleep tonight with all the noise. Neither will I for that matter.

Jasper texted us to remind us we were all on duty tonight at Bella's appearance. As I was about to head over to my bathroom to take a shower, I heard talking from Bella's room. I walked up to the door and listened. Alice had arrived to get Bella ready. I showered and changed into my black security t-shirt. By 7:15 PM, I was ready to go but we didn't have to leave until 7:30, so I sat on my couch and waited.

I heard Alice laughing, then a door close, then silence. A few minutes later, I heard a knock at the door. Was that my door or Bella's door? I walked over to my door and looked through the peephole. Our doors were literally side by side and I saw Jacob standing in the hallway outside of Bella's door. Bella opened her door and walked out.

I couldn't help but notice how pretty she looked tonight. Her hair was pulled half back and Alice had dressed her in a brown skirt and white, lace sleeveless top. The skirt was modest, just touching her knees. Sometimes Alice picked out dresses and skirts that left very little to the imagination. She certainly had the body for it.

They talked very quietly and I strained to hear.

"How are you doing Bellie?" Jacob murmured, leaning down to Bella's level to meet her eye.

"I don't know. Fine I guess." She said.

"Come here," Said Jacob, pulling her into a hug. "Try not to be so down. It's all in the past now and we'll all look back and laugh about it in a few weeks."

"Jacob," Bella said, pulling out of the hug and looking up at him. Jacob kept his hands on the back of her arms, "you've been wonderful, thank you."

They stared at each other. Seconds passed and neither of them looked away. Finally, Bella turned.

"I should get back inside. He's going to come get me in a minute to leave." She started to walk back into her room.

"OK, and Bella?" Jacob said. "If you need some company later tonight, just text me OK?"

"OK, thanks Jake."

I stepped away from the peephole. What the fuck was this now? Jesus Christ Jacob. _Did she need some company later_...what was that supposed to mean? Was he her new bunk-mate now or what? What a fucking joke.

I walked over to the attached door and knocked harder than I meant to. Settle down Edward, you're not here to be her bunk-mate, you're here to protect her.

A moment later, Bella opened it and didn't even wait for me to step through before she was heading for the door to leave. We walked down the hallway to the elevator.

"Bella, slow down, there's no rush." I told her as she walked ahead of me with fast deliberation. She didn't respond. We rode the elevator down in silence and walked into the lobby. Rose was waiting and approached us in her high heels and professional attire.

"I have a cab waiting out front for us." Rose turned to me, "Jasper texted me. He and the guys just arrived and there's paparazzi waiting so Jasper is meeting us at the front to help obstruct while Emmett and Jacob wait inside." I nodded. Rose walked out the doors.

"Wait, Rose, why are all the guys there?" Bella asked. Rose didn't hear her. Bella automatically turned to me, a confused look on her face, but quickly looked away.

"It's OK Bella," I said holding the door open for her, "they're just there for extra precaution. It's supposed to be a big turn-out." She walked through, looking down and we climbed into the cab.

We pulled up to the front and our cab was blasted by camera flashes.

"Jesus Christ!" Rose said, looking out the cab window. "This is Austin, not L.A. Where did all these papz come from?"

"How much publicity went into this gig?" I asked Rose.

"Obviously more than what was needed." She sighed. "Alright, let's go."

Rose exited the cab first, I followed, then Bella. It was a loud and rambunctious crowd. I stood right in front of the car door, facing her. I blocked her from view, until she was completely out. I placed a hand on her shoulder and she flinched away.

"Bella." I said quietly. She needed to let me do my job. "Come on, it's OK." I touched her shoulder again, this time she allowed me. I moved to her side and Jasper appeared up ahead. He met us halfway and we started the walk up to the doors. She kept her head down and I stayed by her side. Jasper and I were on full alert, scanning over every face in the sea of people, watching for any strange or reckless behavior.

Everyone was shouting her name and trying to get close. Jasper and I both had to move people out of the way and block unwanted grasps in her direction. We made it inside. The place was a cafe by day, and a bar by night. It also sold music and artwork. The building was studio-style. It was dimly lit and there weren't nearly enough tables and chairs to accommodate everyone. People stood around holding drinks and waiting anxiously. The manager showed Rose, Bella, and I into his office, but then left to address the crowd.

"OK Bella. The manager is going to announce you and you'll head up to that little platform where Tony is sitting with his guitar. There's a mic set up. You'll do your three songs, then spend 30 minutes, max, signing autographs and taking pictures. 30 minutes maximum." She said again. Bella was frowning.

"What if they want an encore?" Bella asked. "Couldn't I do one more song as a surprise?" I could tell by her voice, she was testing Rose.

"Not tonight Bella." Rose said.

"What's going on?" Bella asked crossing her arms in front of her. "My entire security team is here and you're rushing me to get in and get out. Something is going on."

"Don't be silly. OK, we start in 2 minutes, see you out there!" Rose said quickly, slipping out the door. Bella and I stood there alone. She closed her eyes and brought her hands up to her temples, pressing her fingertips there. She was stressed. I didn't want her to feel stressed.

"Bella, I'll be just a few feet beside you. You have nothing to worry about." I said softly, trying to reassure her. We heard the manager come over the microphone and greet the crowd.

"...without further adieu, please welcome...Isabella!" The crowd cheered loudly.

Bella took a deep breath, then smiled big and opened the door. I led her to the mini-stage. She started to climb up onto the platform and I grabbed her hand to help her. She walked up to the mic.

I stood on the floor about 6 feet to her left. Jasper stood about 6 feet to her right and I looked out to see Emmett and Jacob standing on opposite sides of the crowd. All of our eyes were scanning over the crowd.

Bella greeted her fans and Tony started to strum his guitar to the first song. Bella started to sing. She seemed so comfortable up there, like she owned this entire place and didn't have a care in the world. Her singing was effortless. It always was. After the first song, she talked into the mic, flirted with the crowd, and teased them with her next hit.

She sang the second song and the crowd's enthusiasm built. People stood up from the tables and chairs and started inching forward, closer to the tiny stage. I saw Jacob and Emmett tapping people on the shoulder, asking them to take a few steps back.

Her last song was her current single. It was fast paced and the crowd went wild. A few girls out in the crowd started to climb up on their chairs to get a better view. Jacob and Emmett told them to get down, but others had seen them do it and started to climb up on more chairs. The place was packed, shoulder to shoulder, and Jacob and Emmett squeezed through the bodies telling people to sit down. The crowd started to stir up, and amongst the commotion, people started to shift forward, inching closer and closer to the stage.

I looked over at Jasper and he was looking at me. I moved in closer to Bella and Jasper walked up to the front of the crowd. He held his hands out wide in front of the stage, trying to block the people from coming any closer. I looked up at Bella. She was still singing, but I saw the fear behind her eyes as she watched the crowd unravel. She finished the song and the crowd cheered, clapped and whistled. Bella spoke into the mic again,

"I'm feeling the love!" Bella called out with a chuckle and a big smile. The crowd cheered loudly.

She continued, "I'd love to meet a few of you and take some pictures, but it's getting a little tight up front. Can everyone see that giant, 7 foot caveman standing toward the back?" Bella asked, pointed toward the back of the building where Jacob was busy trying to coax people to step back. Every head turned around and Jacob held his hand up in the air.

Bella continued into the microphone, "On the count of three, I want everyone to shout 'Eegah' and back up a few feet in his direction." The crowd laughed. "Ready? One, two, three!"

"EEGAH!" Everyone yelled out, and they started to shuffle backwards, spreading out and filling up the back of the building. Jasper dropped his hands as the crowd shifted away. He turned to look at Bella with a huge smile. I couldn't stop from smiling myself. She was absolutely incredible.

Jasper, Rose, myself, and Bella all rode in the same cab back to the hotel. Rose sat up front and Bella sat in the middle between us guys in the back. When the door closed and the driver pulled away, Jasper wrapped an arm around his sister's shoulder and squeezed her.

"I can't believe you Bells! You owned that crowd! I'm so freaking proud of you little sis!"

"Thanks." Bella sighed and slumped back against the car seat. I wanted to hug her too for how she handled everything but I knew she wouldn't want that. I gently bumped into her shoulder,

"Really nice job back there Bella." I said. She didn't respond.

Jasper pulled out his phone and sent a text message. I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I pulled it out and read it. It was from Jasper, two feet away:

_"No sign of stalker, must be hoax."_

I looked down at Bella, she was staring at her lap. I glanced at Jasper and nodded.

A minute later, Jasper's phone beeped and he read a new text. "Jacob and Emmett want to meet at a place across from the hotel for drinks. You guys up for it?"

Rose turned around, "Sure. I want to change clothes first though."

"Yeah, me too." Said Jasper.

I looked down at Bella, waiting for her reaction. Wherever she went, I went tonight.

"Not tonight. I just want to go back to my room." Bella said quietly.

We pulled up to the hotel and all headed up to our rooms. Jasper's room was next to mine and Rose's room was just around the corner. Bella slid her card into the key slot and opened the door.

"Bella?" I said, standing beside her, in front of my door. She paused, waiting for me to speak. "I'm serious, you were really great tonight." I said, and I meant it. She walked into her room and closed the door.

I went into my room and dropped onto the couch. I ran my fingers through my hair with a sigh. She hadn't spoken to me since snapping at me back at the buses when I tried to carry her bags.

Why wasn't she mad at Jacob? Shit, between the two of us, it was way more logical to be mad at him. He took advantage of her for Christ sake! Yeah, I got piss-ass drunk and acted on impulse too, but Bella and I were in the same boat there. We were both seriously impaired, Jacob was not. I stood up from the couch shaking my head. I started to walk over to my bed when I heard a knock. Was that on my door or Bella's?

As I walked over to my door to look through the peephole, I heard Bella open her outer door.

"Can I help you?" I heard her say. I reached my door and looked through the peephole just as a dark-skinned man with long dreadlocks and a thin goatee stepped into Bella's room and slammed the door behind him.

"No! Bella!" I yelled.

I ran to our attached door. _"Stay away from her!"_ I screamed, grabbing the door knob and slamming into the door.

It was locked. Bella had locked me out.

**Chapter end notes: ****Make my day and leave a review! Link to Chapter 6 teaser on my Twitter page Lindsay520.**


	6. Chapter 6

Guarding Isabella

_Disclaimer:__All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

AH: All Human

_Rated: M  
><em>

Summary: Edward and Jacob are hired as professional bodyguards for the "2011 Isabella US Tour." What will happen when 'professional' suddenly turns 'personal' and feelings start to develop between the soft-spoken superstar and her new bodyguards?

**Chapter notes: Thank you to those who voted for GI for Fic of the Week at The Lemonade Stand. Although GI didn't quite make it to the featured top 4, it was pretty close! I stumbled across a song by this young guy named Chase Coy called "Lullaby"…it is perfect about 1/4 of the way through the chapter. The lyrics…wow. You should listen if you can.**

**Chapter song(s):  
><strong>**"Fall For You" by Second Hand Serenade  
><strong>**"Lullaby" by Chase Coy**

I slammed into the door with my shoulder over and over again.

_"Stay away from her!"_ I screamed, backing up and slamming against it again. I could hear bits and pieces of what was happening on the other side.

"...Have you been getting my letters?"

"...even more beautiful in person..."

"...why are you afraid?..."

"...just let me hold you Isabella..."

I knew she had to be terrified. I was going to break this goddamn door down and disfigure that fucking creep. I swear to God, if he hurt her...

I continued to scream and slam into the door with all my strength. The frame started to crack. That's when I heard Jasper yelling and pounding on my room door. He must have heard me from the next room. I ran to let him in.

As we ran over to the attached door, I yelled to Jasper, _"The guy got into her room! The door is locked!"_

Using both our strength, we rammed into the door once, twice, and the frame broke. The door swung open and we stumbled inside.

The guy had Bella backed into a corner. He held onto her wrists and had his face in her neck. It looked like he was smelling her. Bella was holding very still. She had her face turned away from him and her eyes squeezed closed.

Jasper got to the guy first. He pulled him off of Bella, spun him around, and slammed his fist right into his face. The guy went down and Jasper grabbed him back up by his collar. He started swearing and screaming in the guy's face and then pulled him toward the door.

I quickly ran to Bella and pulled her to my chest. I could feel her breaths coming out in short gasps. "Are you OK, did he hurt you?" She didn't respond. I swept my hand over her forehead and down the back of her head and started to scan her body, still trying to determine if she was hurt. She appeared to be fine. I pulled back and leaned my face down to her level. She still had her eyes squeezed closed.

"It's OK Bella, open your eyes." I murmured. "He's gone."

She slowly opened her eyes and looked into mine. They were brimming with tears.

"_I...locked you out_." She whispered, her voice full of regret. I sighed and pulled her to me. I felt her shoulders start to shake as she began to cry. "I'm...sorry...Edward." She said, in between sobs against my chest.

Just then, Jasper came running back in. He hurried over to us and grabbed onto Bella, hugging her tightly.

"Bella, are you OK? Hotel security is holding the guy until the police get here. Why did you lock that door Bella? You should _never ever_ lock that door!"

He was practically yelling at her.

"Hey," I said to Jasper, "take it easy on her." Jasper nodded and brought Bella over to sit down on the bed.

A few minutes later, Jasper had called Rose and she came flying into the room barefoot and half-dressed. I looked away since her blouse was unbuttoned. She hugged Bella, sat next to her on the bed, and talked softly to her as she discretely buttoned her shirt up. Jasper and I went downstairs to file a police report.

Jasper had texted Emmett and Jacob while we were downstairs and they came jogging into the hotel lobby just as the cops were hauling the guy out of the building in handcuffs.

They both glared at him. "Piece of fucking shit." Jacob muttered as the guy passed by.

We all went upstairs to check on Bella. Rose was stepping out of her room just as we approached the door. She closed the door quietly behind her.

"Bella wants to rest guys." Said Rose.

"Can't we just go in and see if she's OK?" Jacob asked, his voice worried.

Emmett put a hand on his shoulder. "Jake, we'll check on her tomorrow. We should let her rest." He said.

Rose assured us all that she was OK and we all headed back to our rooms.

I walked into my suite and turned the light on. Then I remembered that the attached door was broken and the entryway was wide open. The light from my room shed bright light into Bella's dark room and I quickly turned it off, not wanting to disturb her. I walked past the entry and, through the darkness, I could just make out Bella's small form curled up on the bed under the sheet. She lied facing away from me.

I walked into my bathroom and pulled my t-shirt off. I looked at the big, darkening bruise covering the shoulder I used to slam into the door over and over again. Suddenly, Bella appeared in the mirror, standing in the bathroom doorway behind me. I turned around.

"Does it hurt?" She asked. I shook my head.

"Did I wake you?" I asked.

"No, I can't sleep." She said looking down at the floor. There was a long pause, then she said, "I want to thank you Edward."

"Bella, I was just doing my job." I said, starting to walk forward. We moved into the living room and I sat on the couch. Bella stayed standing. She leaned up against the arm of the chair across from me.

"I know you were, and you're really good at it, always..." She started nervously twisting the bottom hem of her faded gray t-shirt. ..."even when I make it difficult for you. I was so stupid for locking the door."

"Why _did_ you lock the door?" I asked.

She sighed. "I was just so angry with you. You think I'm just this slutty girl who will hook up with anybody. I realize why you think that, I just wish there was some way I could make you believe that I am not that girl. I am _so_ not that girl Edward."

"Why does it matter what I think Bella?"

"I don't know why it matters...but it does. It matters to me Edward. I will be perfectly honest with you. I had one serious boyfriend in high school, he was my first. Then Michael...then you."

She sighed again and her eyes started to tear up. "...and Jacob, well...I guess he's my fourth." Her voice cracked on that last word and she quickly brought her hands up to wipe the tears from her eyes. She was shaking her head. "I never meant for it to go that far. I am so ashamed and disgusted with myself."

I wondered if she felt ashamed and disgusted after the night her and I were together. I hoped she didn't.

She was distraught now and I had an urge to take her in my arms and comfort her, but I resisted. As long as we were on the topic, I might as well ask her now...

"Why are you mad at me but not at Jacob?" My tone was serious.

She wiped her eyes. "Jacob didn't judge me afterward. He doesn't think less of me now, and he listened to me when I told him that _that_ Bella wasn't the real Bella. I don't know where that Bella came from but I hope I never see her again because she scares me."

I actually grinned at her comment. I stood up and walked over to her. She looked up at me.

"Can we just put all of this behind us? I asked. She stood up on her tip-toes and threw her arms around my neck, hugging me.

"Yes, let's." She said. I hugged her back, my hands splayed out on her back, over her soft sleep shirt.

"Thank you Edward, for everything." We stood, arms still wrapped around each other. "Thank you for helping me tonight. Thank you for always being an amazing guard to me, thank you for helping me sleep on nights when I need it, and thank you for listening to me tonight."

We pulled back and looked into each other's eyes.

"That's a lot of thank yous." I said. She smiled and I suddenly wanted nothing more than to lean in and kiss her right then and there. No. That would be a terrible idea Edward. Terrible. That would be a huge step in the wrong direction. Get your head on straight.

"Goodnight Edward." She said starting to walk back to her room.

"Goodnight...Bella?" I called out. She turned to look at me. "If you have trouble sleeping tonight...I'm right here." I said, gesturing toward my bed.

"Thank you Edward. I won't bother you like that anymore." Then, very quietly, she said, "It's probably not a good idea."

I wondered what she meant by that.

She went into her room and I took my pants off and settled into bed in my boxers. I listened as she tossed and turned, and tossed and turned. I knew she couldn't sleep. I couldn't sleep knowing she couldn't sleep.

After an hour of listening to her moving around, I sat up and got out of bed. I grabbed a t-shirt from my bag and threw it on. Then I walked threw the entry, around the side of Bella's bed, and climbed in beside her. As I lifted the blanket to crawl underneath, I saw that she had slipped off the little shorts she wore earlier and slept in just the t-shirt and underwear. God did she drive me crazy with that body. Why did she have this affect on me?

We didn't speak, just laid on our sides facing each other. I saw Bella's eyes traveling all over my face. In about 10 minutes, Bella fell asleep, and I drifted off minutes later.

When I woke up the next morning, I was on my stomach and my hand was draped over Bella's waist. I lifted my head and saw that she was awake, lying on her back with her arms under her head. She looked down at me and smiled.

"Sorry." I said, removing my hand. I shifted up onto my side.

"It's OK." She said.

"How did you sleep?" I asked her.

"Good, just woke up a minute ago. You?"

"Good, in fact, I think your bed is more comfortable than mine. I think I got bed-jipped in my room."

Bella laughed and sat up. She stood up out of bed. Her underwear was riding up that perfect ass of hers. I felt a groan form in the back of my throat. She adjusted her panties then bent over to retrieve her shorts from the floor. God damn.

There was a soft knock at the door.

"Bella, it's me, Jacob."

Bella quickly pulled her shorts on and started to frantically wave me back to my room. I started to climb out of bed but had a serious problem going on under the sheets. Bella was mouthing 'Go!' and started to walk toward the door. Shit, I stood up and ran past her with my erection standing tall beneath my boxers. She did a double-take as she watched me hurry past her. I ran into my bathroom and closed the door.

I listened as Bella opened the door.

"Bella! Are you OK? God, I wish I could've been here to kick that guy's ass!"

"I'm fine Jake, really."

"I was so worried about you. Did you get any sleep last night?"

"Actually yeah, I slept good."

"Good." There was a pause and I guessed Jacob had noticed the open entry way between our rooms. He lowered his voice and I strained to hear.

"I heard what happened with the door. Bella, I know you're mad at him, but you need to let him do his job."

"I know Jacob. I already got a talking-to from my brother, I don't need one from you too."

I grinned at her snide comment.

Jacob whispered. "Did you guys mend things up yet?"

"Yes, we talked, everything is fine."

"Good job Bellie. Now we can all hang out again as one big happy family!"

Wow, I had to hand it to the guy for actually showing some real maturity.

He left a few minutes later and Bella went into her bathroom and started the shower up. I did the same in my bathroom. I took off my shirt and examined the bruise covering my shoulder. It was black and purple. I dropped my boxers and got into the shower, stepping under the hot spray.

My mind quickly wandered to one room over. Bella, shower, naked, wet. I pictured the water running down her body, her hands running all over her wet, soapy body, no...my hands running all over her wet, soapy body.

My hand started to drift down. I grabbed hold of my dick. Jesus Edward, are you really going to do this? Ugh, yes. Yes I am. I started to stroke myself, closing my eyes and picturing her. My mind wandered from the shower, to the bed. Me, on top of her, my hands sliding up her stomach, over her breasts, kissing her breasts. Taking them in my mouth. Up her neck, her mouth. Her mouth, oh God. I remembered how her mouth felt around me, sucking on me, her head moving up and down.

I remembered being inside of her. Deep inside of her. Sliding in and out of her tight body. The way she opened her mouth and tilted her head back when I made her come. Oh God I wanted to make her come again. Just rub on her clit a little...oh-God-shit, that did it...I was done. I stroked myself through it, getting it all over my hand and the shower floor. The throbbing started to slow, then finally stopped and I rinsed my hand off.

After the Austin show, we were on the buses and in route to Oklahoma City. I sat in the kitchen, Jacob and Emmett were in the front room and Jasper was in his bunk. Bella was in her room. Jacob and Emmett set up a video game console and were playing against each other. Somehow they set it up where one TV showed Jacob's game and the other TV showed Emmett's. They sat on the wrap-around couch opposite each other, controls in hand, staring up at the TVs.

Bella came walking out of her room. She had changed out of her stage dress and into a pair of black cotton shorts and a white tank-top. Her hair was down, still styled in dramatic waves for the show, but she had wiped all of her dark stage make-up off. She opened the refrigerator and looked inside.

"Hey Bellie, can you toss me a beer while you're in there?" Jacob called out.

"Me too." Emmett chimed in.

"Can't we're out." She said. Both guys said 'Awwww' at the same time and Bella chuckled. "We're all out of water, soda, and pretty much all food too. Who's week is it to grocery shop?" She asked. Nobody knew. She called out to her brother, "Jasper!" He poked his head out from behind his bunk curtain. "Who's week is it to shop for bus food?" Jasper pulled out his phone and looked at his planner.

"Edward's week." He said.

"Sucker!" Jacob called out. "No but seriously, can you get some Coors Light?"

We all laughed and Bella came over to the kitchen table and sat down across from me. "Want some company while you grocery shop tomorrow?"

Something warmed up inside of me and I couldn't help but smile. She grinned back at me.

"Yes, that would be nice." I said to her. Suddenly, I heard a gurgling sound. Bella's eyes widened and she looked down at her stomach.

"I haven't eaten since breakfast, I'm starving." She said leaning against the back of the chair, slightly embarrassed.

I stood up and started to walk toward the very front of the bus. As I passed the TVs, Emmett stuck his foot out and tried to trip me, I was too quick for him. I leaned around the half-wall separating the front room and the bus driver's alcove. I spoke to the driver then pulled out my cell phone and sent one text to Rose and another text to Tony on the band bus:

_"Pit stop"_

Within 10 minutes, three gigantic tour buses were pulling into an In-N-Out Burger restaurant, open till 1:00 AM.

"Good call Edward!" Jacob said slapping me on the shoulder as we all walked into the restaurant. There were only 4 other people inside the restaurant so late at night. The manager came out, a stocky bald guy who waddled when he walked. Rose told him who we were with.

"Of course! Of course! We are honored! Thank you for stopping Isabella!" He said, stepping up to Bella and shaking her hand.

We ordered our food. Us guys, Bella, Rose, and Alice all sat together at a strip of tables along the windows. There were still a bunch of crew members in line waiting to order.

I stiffened up when I saw a group of 6 guys walk in. It only took a second for Jasper, Emmett, and Jacob to notice and we were all on high alert. The girls didn't seem to notice right away, they were chatting and eating.

They looked like typical thugs, bagging clothing, tattoos. They saw the long line behind the register and got aggravated fast. At this time of night, I wouldn't be surprised if they had just come from a bar and were probably boozed up.

One of the thugs stepped forward. "Who the fuck do y'all think you are? Rollin' in here in your fancy-ass buses and shit. Hurry the fuck up!"

A couple of the guys behind him added in there gripes and agreements, waving their hands in the air.

"This is _our_ place after midnight fuckers!" Another guy said, clearly drunk by the way he was swaying around. "Shit, those buses won't be very fancy after we slash them mother fuckin' tires now will they?" He said, and their whole group laughed.

That's when all four of us slid our chairs back from the table causing a screech against the floor. We all stood up. All 6 guys looked over at us. I wished we were still wearing our security shirts. There was something about those big white letters on the back that seemed to intimidate people, but we had changed clothing after the show.

"Well what do we have here?" One thug said.

By now, these guys had the attention of everyone in the building. Emmett took a step forward. "No need for any trouble. We're just passing through." He walked over to our band members and said, "How about if we let these guys skip ahead of our group, they seem to be in a hurry."

Emmett was handling it appropriately. If these guys had knives or other weapons, he was following our training guidelines by avoiding verbal threats, provoking, and physical intervention at all costs.

"Hmmm, how 'bout if we make a deal with y'all?" One guy said, stepping forward. He had tattoos covering both arms and up his neck. "How about if we let y'all eat here in our building, and you share those 3 hot little bitches with us?" He said staring directly at Bella, Alice, and Rose. All of the guys behind him chuckled and nodded.

My hands clenched into fists and I saw the vein in Jacob's neck pop out. Jasper stepped in front of the girls.

The guy continued, "But wait, before we choose, I wanna know who the big _celebrity_ is here. I bet it's one of those little hotties...that's who _I_ want. I want the _star _of the group." The guys behind him started hollering and riling each other up.

Emmett took a step toward them. "Well, that's not going to happen." He turned toward the crew members still in line. "Sorry guys, let's load the buses up."

The thugs started cursing and grumbling as our group started to walk toward the exit.

I turned toward the girls. Rose and Alice were frowning. Bella's eyes were wide and her face was pale. She looked like she had just seen a ghost. All four of us surrounded the girls and we headed toward the doors. We had to pass the thugs in order to reach the exit. They began whistling and muttering vulgar comments under their breath at the girls. Then they started to walk up to the counter to order their food.

Just as we reached the door, I noticed one thug had lagged behind. He quickly reached between Emmett and me, and pinched Bella's ass. In one quick movement, I grabbed his wrist with one hand and snapped his pointer and middle finger back with my other hand, cracking and breaking the bones inside. He cried out in shock. I dropped his wrist and we were out the door. The other thugs hardly had time to notice their friend hunched over in pain before we had made it to the buses and were pulling away.

**Chapter end notes: I've been getting some really great, thoughtful reviews, keep them coming! Link to Chapter 7 teaser on my Twitter page Lindsay520.**


	7. Chapter 7

_Disclaimer:__All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

AH: All Human

_Rated: M  
><em>

Summary: Edward and Jacob are hired as professional bodyguards for the "2011 Isabella US Tour." What will happen when 'professional' suddenly turns 'personal' and feelings start to develop between the soft-spoken superstar and her new bodyguards?

***Check out my photo banner for GI, made by SoapyMayhem. Copy and paste ****http:/i1218 . photobucket . com/albums/dd404/Lindsay520/1guardingisbl2 . png**** (remove spaces) or visit my profile for a direct link. **

**Chapter notes: Just so you know, I will never write a dream-sequence. Everything that happens in my stories is actually happening in the story. That's all! Here is chapter 7!**

**Chapter song(s):  
><strong>**"Step Ladder" by Teddy Geiger  
><strong>**"One and Only" by Adele (Please**_** please**_** listen to this song. Whether you listen during the chapter or after it, it is a freaking beautiful and perfect song. It's my current obsession.)**

Back on the buses, Jasper and Emmett headed to their bunks and I noticed Bella had taken a seat in the middle of the couch. She had her knees pulled up to her chest and was looking out the window, twisting her hair around her finger. She looked a little shaken up. I hoped I had caused permanent damage to the hand of the jerk that pinched her.

I was just about to go over and sit with her when Jacob went over and flopped down beside her.

"Little Bellie, you look sad, what's wrong?"

"Oh no, I'm fine." She said.

"I hope those douche-bags didn't get under your skin back there. There was no way we'd let anything happen to any of you girls."

"I know Jake. You guys are all so great." She said.

Jacob nudged her gently, "Wanna come sit and talk for a while before you go to sleep?"

"Sure." She said, shrugging her shoulders.

I stood in the kitchen, pretending to look through my phone, but listening to their conversation. They stood up and started to walk toward the bunks. As they passed, I kept my face down but raised my eyes to Bella's. She met my gaze and held it until she walked past. They stopped in the bus aisle and I turned and watched as Jacob reached under Bella's arms and lifted her up to the middle bunk on the right. He climbed in after her.

I didn't like it. I'll admit it. I didn't like it at all. I walked over to my bunk which was middle on the left, directly across from Jacob's. I stood in the aisle right beside them and kicked my shoes off. His curtain was open and they sat facing each other. Bella was telling him something about a past show. I crossed my arms in front of me and grabbed the bottom of my shirt. I pulled it off and heard Bella fumble her words mid-sentence.

She started over. "Listen to me, wow, I'm really tired."

I turned and climbed into my bunk, grinning. I'm sure she probably was tired, but maybe...distracted too? OK Edward, that's enough. Don't be an idiot and quit thinking so highly of yourself.

I pulled my curtain closed. I changed out of my jeans and into a pair of cotton sleep pants, then clicked my light off and lay down. A moment later, I heard 'goodnights' being whispered and footsteps. I used one finger to carefully move my curtain aside by about an inch. I watched Bella walk down the dark bus aisle and into the bathroom.

A moment later, I heard Jacob climbing out of his bunk. He reached the bathroom just as Bella was walking out. They stood face to face. Bella barely reached the bottom of his chest and she had her face tilted all the way up to look at him. Jacob was talking to her but it was too soft to hear. I watched anxiously through the inch-wide gap.

I was trying to read Bella's face to determine what he might be saying, but it was difficult. She nodded her head once and a minute later, it almost looked like she was about to...cry.

Then Jacob brought his hand to her face and brushed his fingers across her cheek. Why was he touching her like that? No. Don't touch her like that. You only touch a girl's face like that if you...then he started to lean in. My heart was pounding out of control. I could feel it and hear it beating in my chest; it was deafening. Bella's eyes were locked on his. His face inched closer and closer. He brought his hand up again and this time, placed his fingers gently under her chin.

My jaw clenched and my teeth gritted together so tightly, a vice couldn't pry them open. Don't do it. Don't you fucking do it asshole. He tilted his face inward, then...Bella turned her face away, and his fingers lost contact with her chin. I realized I had been holding my breath and let it out with a silent whoosh. I watched Bella say something quickly, her face serious. Then she turned and walked into her room, closing the door behind her. Jacob stood frozen in his spot, shoulders slumped, looking down at the floor. After a moment, he sighed, then turned and walked back to his bunk.

Shit. This was becoming impossible to ignore. Fine, I already admitted to myself that _something_ was there. Well...that _something_ was starting to consume me. She's all I thought about. Wherever she was, whatever she was doing, I wanted to be there. Not just to protect her as her guard, but just to be there with her. I wanted to make her happy, to make her smile. I wanted her in my bed at night, I wanted to help her sleep, and I wanted...Jesus, I wanted her body again.

Then there was Jacob. Seriously Jacob, can you find any more ways to get in the way? You've done a hell of a job so far, Christ. I didn't want things to get hostile between us, but seriously, he needed to back off. I fucking _hated_ the fact that he had been with Bella once. He had kissed her, touched her, _been inside_ of her, _God_ it made my skin crawl to think about it. Bella said herself, she didn't mean for things to go that far. So did that mean she regretted being with Jacob? Did she regret being with me?

Shit, and what about my job? This _relationship_, if that's what you could even call it, couldn't even happen with the position I was in. Jacob was in the same boat. A bodyguard should not be in a personal relationship with their client. Jasper and Rose would fire us in a second.

But what about Bella? What did _she_ want? She was almost impossible to read sometimes.

I spent the next hour analyzing everything that had happened between Bella and me, trying to figure out if she might have feelings for me. It was like a rollercoaster. Her actions were all over the place. It was driving me crazy.

I glanced at the digital clock up on my shelf. I had been lying here for an hour and a half. Bella hadn't showed up yet. Then I remembered what she said back at the hotel. 'I won't bother you like that anymore. It's probably not a good idea.' Did she think she was actually bothering me? Was it not a good idea because it was overstepping our professional boundaries, or because she didn't trust herself? Shit, I wasn't sure if _I_ trusted myself.

I wondered if she was sleeping in there. Just as the thought entered my head, I heard a soft click. I peeked out the inch wide gap and saw Bella slip out of her room. Adrenaline started to rush throughout my body. Was she going to the bathroom? Was she coming to my bunk? Was she going to...a different bunk? I watched as she walked down the aisle and passed the bunks. I shifted around silently and leaned over to the other end of my bunk. I used my finger to pull aside the curtain by an inch. She walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. She stood there, in the soft glow of the refrigerator's light, but couldn't find anything she wanted.

When she closed the door and turned around...there I was. She gasped softly, and we stood, face to face, in the middle of the dark bus. Neither of us spoke. Her eyes darted back and forth between mine. So deep and solemn. Why did she have to be so incredibly beautiful? My eyes moved from her eyes, down to her mouth and I parted my lips. That's it. I can't ignore this anymore. I started to close the distance between us, and just as I was a mere two inches from her face, she reached around the back of my neck and pulled me to her mouth.

Oh my God, I needed this. I needed her. I brought my arms around her and she wrapped both her arms around my neck. I pressed one hand to the middle of her back and slid the other hand up the back of her neck and into her hair. I kept my hand on the back of her head, holding her mouth to mine. I brought my tongue out and she met mine with hers. She tasted like pure bliss and I wanted to taste every part of her.

There we stood, in the middle of the dark kitchen, pressed up against each other, eyes closed, mouths moving in perfect unison. Her body felt perfect against mine and I never wanted to let her go. I wanted to stay in this exact spot, holding her, kissing her...oh my God I was kissing her. This was happening. She was kissing me back. She wanted this.

I broke our kiss,_ "Bella..."_ I whispered.

_"No...don't stop."_ She whispered back, finding my mouth again. Oh I didn't want to stop, I never wanted to stop. Then my head started to clear and I realized we were standing in the kitchen.

I broke our kiss again, _"Someone could see us." _I said, bringing my lips over to her cheek and along her jaw. I kissed up her jaw and under her ear. Then I moved my hands down her sides and over her hips. I kept going until I could wrap my hands around her thighs and lift her up into my arms. She wrapped her legs around my waist and I started to walk us toward the back of the bus. She hugged onto my tightly and pressed her face into my neck. Her body was warm against my bare chest and I felt her hardened nipples pressed against me through her thin tank-top.

We silently crept past the bunks and I opened the door to her room. We slipped inside and I closed the door behind me without a sound. Then I carried her over to the bed, gently laid her down, and crawled over her.

I knelt on the bed between her slightly bent legs and leaned on my elbows above her face. I leaned in to kiss her again but she stopped me.

"Edward?" She whispered. I looked into her eyes. "I think it's happening again." She said, sadness in her voice.

I wrinkled my brow, "What do you mean Bella?" I asked her softly.

"Edward, I...want you. I want to be with you so bad, but..." She trailed off, closing her eyes.

I leaned down and placed a long kiss on her throat, then whispered, "...but you don't want to be _that girl_ again?" I guessed, finishing her sentence. Her eyes popped open in surprise.

"Yes. How did you know what I meant?"

I reached down to her side and took her hand in mine. I brought it up to my mouth and kissed along her knuckles. "Bella, you're all I think about. You're on my mind constantly. I've spent hours trying to figure out what might be going on in that head of yours."

Her face was priceless. It was a mixture of shock, happiness, and embarrassment. I just soaked it all in. I was just elated to be lying here with her, close to her, kissing her, just _being_ in her presence.

"Bella," I started, staring into her endless eyes, "I don't think you are _that girl_."

"You don't?" She asked, her voice hopeful.

I leaned down and pressed my lips against hers in a soft, slow kiss. Then I touched my forehead to hers. Both our eyes were closed. _"No, I don't."_ I whispered.

"Edward, I've made so many mistakes..." She started, but I brought my finger up to her mouth and touched her lips to shush her.

"Bella...maybe you made one mistake...we both did that night...but I don't want that _first_ night to be a mistake for you. Tell me it wasn't a mistake. Tell me_ this_ isn't a mistake." I breathed.

Our chests were pressed together and I felt her heartbeat racing. Or maybe that was mine. I inched my face back to look at her. Her eyes were still closed and her lips were slightly parted. Her breathing was rapid and anxious.

She slowly opened her eyes and looked into mine. _"You're not a mistake Edward."_ ...and our lips crashed together again. We kissed as if our lives depended on it, and then our hands and bodies started to move.

I found my hand cupping her cheek as I kissed her, and then I slid it down the front of her neck in between her breasts over her tank top and down to her stomach. I slipped my hand beneath the tank top and felt along her stomach and over her ribcage. I didn't want to move too quickly since I wasn't sure exactly how far Bella wanted to go tonight, so I didn't move my hand up any further.

I moved my lips from her mouth and started to kiss the side of her neck. I sucked gently beneath her ear and continued to move downward, bringing my tongue out to trail along her skin. She let out a soft moan. I was already hard, and the sound of her responding to me went straight to my cock, God I needed her so badly. I wanted to lower my hips down to her and press against her body, but I wasn't sure how she would respond.

Her hands were on my back and started to slide up over my shoulder blades. I continued to kiss down her neck and over her collarbone. I kissed over her chest, stopping directly in the middle where the very top of her tank top lie across her breasts. I looked up at her face, trying to determine how much further I should go. Her eyes were closed and she was biting into her bottom lip.

She felt me stop and slowly opened her eyes. She looked down at me, her eyes full of lust. Then she brought one of her hands in between our bodies and grabbed the bottom of her tank top. She pulled it up slowly and I watched as she exposed her stomach inch by inch. She pulled it up over her breasts and left it gathered up on her chest. Then she wrapped her hand around the back of my neck and pulled my face down to her breasts. I was shocked and thrilled with her boldness, showing me what she wanted...fucking hot as hell.

I kissed over them anxiously, bringing my hands up to grab underneath them at the same time. Mmm, they were so soft and perfect. I took one of her nipples into my mouth and she arched her back up off the bed with a gasp. Ooh yeah, you like that? I slid my tongue over the hardened nipple and then moved over to the other side, sucking the other nipple into my mouth and moving my tongue around it. She could hardly hold still beneath me. I released the other nipple and then grabbed her waist and rolled us over so she was on top of me.

I held her close to me and kissed her mouth, bringing my tongue out against hers. Her nipples were still wet from my mouth and they pressed against my bare chest. Her soft, warm stomach pressed flat against mine. Then Bella sat up, straddling me. She sat on top of my pants, her shorts still on, with her center directly over my cock. She pulled her tank top the rest of the way off and threw on the floor. I looked up at her, God, what a vision, absolutely breath-taking.

I bent up at my waist and brought my hands up to hold her face. _"Bella...you couldn't be more beautiful_." I whispered, then I kissed her and she brought her hands up over mine. We kissed hungrily and I felt Bella's knees tighten up around my waist. She started to move her hips and grind against me over my pants. God yes. I moaned during our kiss and started to lean back down onto the bed. Bella followed, her lips never leaving mine.

Now she had started to rock her hips, sliding her center up and down my length. I pulled my mouth away from hers. _"Oh God Bella. Do you know what you're doing to me?"_ I murmured, grabbing onto her hips and pulling her down even harder against my cock. She found my hands with hers and our fingers entwined. Then her rocking slowed and she guided my hands to her waist. She placed my hands over the waist band of her shorts.

_"Edward,"_ She breathed, _"I want you to touch me."_

Shit, say no more. I rolled us over again and hovered over her. I moved my hand over her stomach and down to the top of her black shorts. I slipped my thumb underneath and started to slide them down. She lifted her ass up off the bed and allowed me to pull them all the way down. No panties, Jesus fuck.

I pulled the shorts over her feet and tossed them aside. She bent her knees slightly. Then I touched her ankle and made my way up her smooth leg. Over her calf, her knee, and up her thigh. I slid my hand inward and she parted her legs a little for me. There it was. My fingers grazed her center lightly and her whole body shuttered.

I looked up at her face. She looked down at me with her eyes half-closed and her mouth parted. She was panting and her chest heaved with every breath. Her left arm was bent up above her head. Her right hand was covering her own breast, grabbing at it, oh _God. _

I ran my fingers up her center, this time pressing into her folds. She gasped and closed her eyes. She was so fucking wet. Oh my God, I did that to her. I felt her clit and gently grazed over it. She lifted her hips up off the bed with a hiss. I grinned. Not yet baby, I want to play a little longer. I left it alone and she slowly lowered her hips back down. I slid my fingers through her wetness and found her opening. I circled around it a few times, teasing her, and she kept trying to push her hips toward my hand. I leaned back up to her face and kissed her, she was whimpering against my mouth.

_"What Bella? What do you want baby?"_ I whispered against her lips.

_"I...I want...please...inside..."_ She stuttered out, completely consumed by her arousal. I kissed her and slid two fingers inside. She moaned out, rather loud.

_"Shh-shh-shh."_ I whispered quickly, reminding her that we were not far from three other people on the bus. I watched her face as I slid my fingers in and out of her. She continued to grab at her breast, switching over to the other one after a moment, and I leaned my face down to run my tongue around her nipple. Her whole body was squirming. I closed my eyes and felt how warm and slick she felt inside. I wanted my cock inside so fucking bad. I pulled my fingers out of her and before I could make another move, Bella was sitting up and grabbing at my pants.

She pushed them down and I helped pull them off. We were both naked now, she was kneeling, I was sitting, and my erection stood out solid in front of me. Then she wrapped her fingers around it and I squeezed my eyes and leaned my head back. She started to stoke her hand up and down my shaft. I slowly lifted my head back up and was met with her mouth against mine. I kissed her, my tongue slipped into her mouth and she matched my actions. I held her face with one hand and reached between our bodies with my other hand. I found her breasts and grabbed one. Her stroking started to become more urgent and I felt her other hand move down and lightly touch my balls. _Oh God_, I didn't want to come yet, no, not quite yet, I grabbed her wrist and she let go of my dick.

I lowered her back down to the bed and crawled over her. I knelt in between her legs and held my face above hers. How far were we going tonight? Did she want more? I tested my limit, using my knee to nudge her legs apart a little more. She closed her eyes and swallowed. She waited, yes, she wanted this. This was happening.

I whispered_, "Should I go get a condom?"_

She reached around my neck and pulled my face to hers, kissing me deeply. When our mouths broke apart, she breathed, _"You don't need to."_

I couldn't wait any longer, I lowered my hips down to her center and didn't even need to guide myself to her opening. My tip was right there and I slid inside. She gasped out, squeezed her eyes closed, and dug her fingers into my back. God she was small and tight. Or maybe I was just large. I hoped I wasn't hurting her. I waited until she was ready then started to pull back out. I pulled almost all the way out, then started to push back in.

_"Are you OK baby?"_ I whispered in her ear. She nodded her head. When I had pushed all the way back inside of her, she slowly opened her eyes. We stared into each other's eyes as we laid there, our bodies completely connected.

_"Be with me Bella."_ I murmured. Her eyes widened a little and she swallowed. I continued, "Nobody has to know. I want to make you happy Bella. I want to be there for you if you're sad, or scared, or lonely. I want you to sleep next to me at night, always. I want to be with you Bella," I shifted my hips and pulled back out, "and I want to make you feel...good."I pushed back in and she moaned out softly, closing her eyes.

A few moments of silence went by and Bella slowly opened her eyes again. She brought her hand up and touched my cheek. I turned my face toward it and kissed her palm. Finally, she said,

_"We have to be so careful Edward. Nobody can find out."_ She whispered. My heart skipped in my chest.

"You'll be with me Bella?" I asked, looking anxiously into her eyes. Her lips turned up and she nodded her head. Oh my God, this couldn't be real. I leaned in and kissed her with everything I had, then moved my mouth to her neck as I started to thrust into her. She raised her hips a little and matched my movements. God she felt incredible, her small body molded around me, taking my cock in as deep as it would go.

I ran my hand down her hip and grabbed her thigh, pulling it tight up against me. After a few minutes, I leaned back on my knees, and pulled her a few inches toward me, never breaking contact. I slid my hand up her other leg, grabbed her ankle and brought it up to lean against my shoulder. I thrust my hips forward and she was gasping at the change in angle. I turned my head to the side and slowly kissed her ankle.

I started to push into her faster. I was getting close. I brought my hand down to where we were connected and slid my fingers through her slick folds, right over her clit. I didn't apply any pressure, just held my fingers over it. Bella took a deep gasp in and grasped the bed sheets in anticipation. She brought her eyes up to mine and bit into her lip again. Oh God I was going to come just by the way she looked at me.

Then I gently applied pressure and started to move my fingers around in little circles.

_"Oh_ _God_." She half-whispered, half-moaned, tilting her head back against the bed. I increased the pressure and she raised her hips up off the bed._ "Yes, oh my God." _She was close.

_"Come for me Bella."_ I whispered as I thrust harder and harder into her.

_"Yes...I'm coming...oh GOD_!" She covered her mouth with both her hands and I felt her orgasm rip through her.

"Oh _fuck!" _I cried out as quietly as possible as I came inside of her, my cock pulsing with the same rhythm as her body's pulsing. I squeezed my eyes shut and shook my hips into her as I rode us through our orgasms. Her eyes were closed and she still had her hands covering her mouth to muffle her loud gasps. I gently lowered down, and pressed my forehead between her breasts. Her skin was flushed and warm there.

After a moment, I pulled out and crawled next to her. She moved her hands from her mouth and turned to face me. We just stared at each other at first, our breathing returning to normal, and then I brought my hand to her face and held her cheek. She leaned her face into my hand and closed her eyes.

Eventually, we pulled the blankets up over us and I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her close to me. She snuggled into my chest. God, all those nights she slept next to me, I wanted to touch her so badly, and finally here she was, in my arms.

_"Bella, you are amazing_." I whispered to her, gently squeezing her to me. This was real. I was really here with her, and she wanted to be with me.

**Chapter end notes: How do you feel? Leave me a review!** **Link to Chapter 8 teaser on my Twitter page Lindsay520.**


	8. Chapter 8

Guarding Isabella

_Disclaimer:__All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

AH: All Human

_Rated: M  
><em>

Summary: Edward and Jacob are hired as professional bodyguards for the "2011 Isabella US Tour." What will happen when 'professional' suddenly turns 'personal' and feelings start to develop between the soft-spoken superstar and her new bodyguards?

***Check out my photo banner for GI, made by SoapyMayhem. Copy and paste ****http:/i1218 . photobucket . com/albums/dd404/Lindsay520/1guardingisbl2 . png**** (remove spaces) or visit my profile for a direct link. **

**Chapter notes: I got some pretty HAPPY reviews from chapter 7! Thank you to everyone. There are a couple of reviewers who disable the response feature, and I can't personally thank you, but I am getting your reviews and I am enjoying them all!**

**Chapter song(s):  
><strong>**Schuyler Fisk "On Your Arm"  
><strong>**Jamestown Story "Ashamed**"

I woke up before sunrise with Bella still in my arms. I glanced over at her clock and saw that it was 6:45 AM. We had arrived in Oklahoma City and were parked in a private lot. I wanted to slip out of her room before the guys started to get up. Oh but she felt so good in my arms, I didn't want to let her go.

I took my chances and held her for another 15 minutes, then I carefully rolled her over and slipped out from beneath the blanket. I knelt back on the bed and leaned over her, looking at her beautiful, peaceful face, sleeping soundly. I gently shook my head in disbelief, still unable to believe that she was mine now. I bent down and kissed her softly on her neck, beneath her ear, and inhaled her scent. Sweet, feminine, and all Bella. My Bella.

I found my sleep pants on the floor and pulled them on. I approached her door and listened. Silence. I quietly slipped out, and walked into the bathroom to shower.

About an hour later, everyone started to wake up. I made my way to the kitchen and started to brew a pot of coffee. As I stood measuring out the coffee grounds, I saw Emmett roll out of his bunk in a pair of polka-dot boxer shorts. He came shuffling into the kitchen, shirtless and hair sticking up in every direction. He started looking through the cabinets for something to eat.

"Can't a guy get a bowl of cereal around here?" He complained after coming up empty-handed.

"Chill Emmett, I'm going to the store later this morning. I'll pick you up some Lucky Charms." I said with a smirk.

He scratched at his head and started to walk toward the front of the bus, "Fruit Loops too please." He called out over his shoulder. Then he flopped down on the couch and clicked the TV on. Jasper walked out of the bathroom, showered and dressed. He walked down the bus aisle and smacked Jacob's bunk curtain,

"Shower's open dude." He said. Then he passed me and headed for the door. "I'm going over to the girl's bus. Alice made waffles."

I noticed Jacob crawl out of his bunk from the corner of my eye. He walked into the bathroom and I heard the shower start up.

A few minutes later, I was pouring myself a cup of coffee and my stomach started to flutter when I heard Bella's door open. Jesus Edward, you really are a pansy. Shit, I don't even care.

I leaned against the kitchen counter and brought the cup to my lips. Bella came walking up to me in a pair of blue cotton sleep shorts and a gray tank top.

"Good morning." I said to her softly with a warm smile. She leaned against the counter and looked up at me with a little pout on her lips. "What's the matter?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

"You were gone when I woke up." She said, very quietly. I looked down the bus. Emmett's back was to us, staring up at the TV. I leaned in and placed a quick kiss on her lips.

"I'm sorry, I wanted to sneak out before anybody else woke up."

She looked up at me with a smile. "_Do that again_." She whispered.

I grinned, "Do what? This?" I leaned in and kissed her again, this time, a little longer.

"Yes." She said closing her eyes. "I love that."

"I love it too." I said. I couldn't stop smiling.

A little while later, Bella showered and got dressed. We stepped out around 10:00 AM and took a cab to go pick up groceries. I was still personal guard until Jasper took over at showtime tonight, so it worked out well that Bella would come to the store with me.

Bella slipped her arm through mine in the cab and I looked over at her and smiled. She leaned her head on my shoulder. I was in heaven. We arrived at the store and shopped for over an hour. We stocked up on everything imaginable, including plenty of beer and cereal. A couple of people recognized Bella at the store and she smiled sweetly and waved. I paid for the groceries and we headed back outside.

I asked the cabby to pick us up at 11:30 AM. We were a few minutes early and stood on the sidewalk in front of the store. I looked around, making sure nobody was paying any attention to us. Then I slipped my hand around her waist and pulled her to me. She looked up at me and I found her lips. God, she tasted so good.

"Mmm, Edward..." She moaned, as our lips broke apart. "I could kiss you all day long."

"Bella, to hear you say that...it's like music to my ears." I said nuzzling against her cheek. She wrapped her arm around my waist, and pressed into my side while we waited for the cab.

We arrived back at the buses and all three guys came running, yes literally running, up to the cab to help carry the groceries in. Once everything was put away, Bella used up one of the three loaves of bread we bought to make us grilled cheese sandwiches. Emmett and Jasper did the dishes and we spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing on the buses before showtime.

I was on backstage duty for the show. I had to step in when a group of 5 rowdy girls tried sneaking backstage. They were drunk and loud.

"Sorry ladies, you're not allowed back here. You're going to have to leave." I told them, stopping them from going any further.

One girl, wearing a plastic tiara, shoved through her friends, "Noooo, pleeeease! It's my birthday! I just want to meet Isabella, she's my favorite!" She whined.

"No, I'm sorry, exit is out this way." I said, leading them back toward the stage door. A different girl with bleach blond hair stepped forward and put her hand on my bicep.

"Wow, you're strong_, __and_ _hot_. What time does your shift end, you should come out with us tonight! We promise we'll show you a good time!"

I ignored her and continued to lead them toward the exit, but they wouldn't leave. It was when they tried to bribe me by flashing their breasts when I got fed up. I spoke into my headset and called in extra security.

A moment later, Jacob came walking up. "Ladies. Fun's over. _Now_. Let's go." He said sternly, his voice raised. We both led them out.

"Thanks man." I said to him.

He grabbed my hand and bumped into my shoulder with a nod. "Anytime."

It was late by the time everyone had loaded back onto the buses after the show. Bella had showered back in her dressing room and changed into a pair of black leggings and a tight blue t-shirt. She walked over to the couch and sprawled out on it. I could tell she was exhausted.

I stood in the kitchen, my eyes on Bella.

"Nice show Bella." Said Jasper, leaning over his sister and ruffling her hair.

"Thanks." She said with a smile. Jasper said goodnight and went to his bunk.

"Yeah Bells, really good show tonight." Emmett called out, pulling his t-shirt off and walking toward the bunks. He climbed in and pulled his curtain closed.

Jacob walked over to the couch and sat beside Bella. "Wanna watch something on TV Bellie?" He asked.

I walked over to the refrigerator and opened it, pretending to look inside. I listened.

"Not tonight, I'm exhausted. I think I'll just go to bed." She said.

"OK." He said. There was a pause. Then I heard Jacob lower his voice. "We're OK right?" He asked quietly. I could barely hear, but I listened very closely.

"Of course Jake." She said.

"OK, I just feel awful for the other night when I tried to...well, you know."

When you tried to kiss her, jerk? I thought to myself. Nobody's kissing that girl's lips except me.

"We're OK Jake, I promise." Bella said. I watched him pull her into a hug from the corner of my eye and hated that he was touching her.

"Goodnight Bellie." He said. They both stood up and Jacob walked to his bunk. Bella followed down the aisle, looked back at me as she entered her room, and closed the door. A second later, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I pulled it out and read the text,

_"Your bed or mine_?" She sent me. I smiled, then texted her back,

_"Yours? I can't wait to kiss you again."_ A second later, she sent,

_"My bed, 30 minutes. My lips are yours."_

I climbed into my bunk and pulled the curtain closed. I changed out of my clothes and into a pair of plaid boxers and a white t-shirt. Half an hour later, the bus was dark and quiet. I climbed out of my bunk and snuck into Bella's room.

She was sitting cross-legged in the middle of her bed in her shirt and panties, a huge smile on her face. I crawled onto the bed and went straight for her mouth. She wrapped her arms around my neck and we sank down to the bed kissing and smiling.

When our mouths broke apart, Bella sighed and ran her hand through my hair. We looked into each others eyes. Then Bella suddenly said,

"Jacob tried to kiss me last night."

I was a little surprised that she would say that out of the blue.

"I know." I said.

She raised her eyebrows. "Really? How did you know that?"

I shifted us around so that Bella was lying close to my side. She laid her cheek on my chest and splayed her hand out on my stomach. "I saw you in the bus aisle." I said.

"Oh." She said quietly. "Edward?" She asked.

"Yes?"

"Are you and Jake...OK? I mean, after...?" She asked, trailing off. She didn't have to specify any further, I knew what she was referring to.

I started to lightly rub Bella's arm. "Yes, we're OK."

Now was the perfect opportunity to bring it up because it was really getting under my skin... "What about you and him?" I asked.

There was a long pause before she spoke next. "I don't know Edward. After it happened, I don't know how to act around him now. I'm walking on eggshells around him because I think he thinks...ugh, I don't know." She said, frustrated.

She twisted around on her stomach and leaned up on her forearms looking at me. She lowered her voice to almost a whisper, "He's _different_with me.

"How is he different?" I asked.

"Just how he is around me and what he says to me. Like last night, he was being really nice and telling me how much all of you guys really care about me and would never let anything bad ever happen to me. But then he went on to say how much _he_ cares about me. That's when he tried to kiss me. Ever since that night, I think he thinks that it...meant something."

"Did you tell him that it didn't?" I asked, truly curious.

"I was in shock the next morning. I was just so upset about the whole thing. I kept telling him that it was a mistake...it was all a huge mistake. I was so worried about what you guys thought of me after that. I remember trying to convince him that I didn't sleep around, that I wasn't that type of girl. He listened to me, and believed me. I was a complete mess and he was there for me Edward. He calmed me down, he made me feel better. He...held me while I cried and assured me that he didn't think less of me. He apologized to me."

She looked down at the bed. I closed my eyes when I realized...he did everything I did not.

I sat up. "Bella, come here." I said softly. She sat up and I pulled her into my lap. I stroked her hair a few times and looked at her face. "Bella, I should have been the one to be there for you." I admitted.

Her eyes watered up. "I wanted you to be there. I needed you." She said, her voice cracking. I leaned my forehead against hers and closed my eyes. She was hurting, and it was because of me.

"I'm sorry Bella. I'm so sorry for the way I acted. I was in shock too. I was confused and I was angry at myself for letting it happen. I guess that's why I lashed out at you, because I...I didn't want to own up to my own actions. I was confused because I had feelings for you and I didn't know how to deal with them after that happened."

She looked into my eyes. I brought my hand to her face and continued, "Bella, I will _never, ever_ treat you like that again. I care about you too much to cause you any pain." She closed her eyes. "That's a promise Bella. I only want to make you happy, for as long as you'll let me." I leaned forward and kissed each of her cheeks slowly.

When I pulled my face back, she opened her eyes, and stared into mine for several seconds. _"I just can't believe I deserve somebody like you."_ She breathed.

I didn't understand. _"Why do you say that baby?"_ I whispered, stroking her cheek.

She swallowed, "Edward, I've never had anybody treat me as gently and as caring as you do. I feel safe with you, and not just because you are my guard. I feel safe with you because you understand me, you respect me. I've never felt like this with anyone before."

I trailed my nose down her cheek. "And why do you believe you don't deserve that? Of course you deserve it. You are a beautiful, kind, genuine person and that's the only way you should ever be treated." I told her, bringing my face around and placing a long kiss on her lips. She closed her eyes.

When our lips parted, she whispered, _"I don't know if I do deserve it."_ She said sadly. I pulled back and looked at her.

"Why?" I asked, gazing into her eyes.

She sighed. "Edward, my life is like a magnet for destruction. Somehow, someway, I cause some sort of pain or suffering to the people around me. I don't mean to, it just always seems to happen."

She leaned forward and laid her cheek on my shoulder. I brought my hand up to her back. She kept talking,

"First it was Alex. He was my high school boyfriend. For all four years. He was so distraught when I moved away to pursue my music career that he started binge drinking and now he's an alcoholic and can't hold a steady job or drive because he lost his license."

"Then my parents. My dad was battling stomach cancer in 2008. They didn't catch it in time and it spread. He was in the hospital, dying while I was on tour. I tried so hard to make it home to be with him, but my schedule was just so hectic, I was halfway across the country and I didn't make it in time. He died before I could see him and I don't think my mother ever truly forgave me for not being there. Me and my mother's relationship kind of fell apart after he died."

"Then there was Michael..." Her voice got caught in her throat and she couldn't continue. I squeezed her in my arms.

"Shh, I know Bella." I said softly. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

After a moment, she took a deep breath. "Everyone who is around me, suffers. People have gotten hurt, physically. Jasper broke his hand once trying to defend me from someone. His hand still bothers him to this day. It might never be the same. Emotionally I've affected people on the tour. Our touring schedule is so demanding that I've broken couples up. Alice broke up with her boyfriend in the middle of our 2009 tour. I'm pretty sure one of my back-up singers is getting divorced because of the tour. I did that. I broke up a marriage."

"Bella, look at me." I said, gently taking her by the arms and looking at her straight-on. "None of those things are your fault. Do you understand me? None of them."

She was trying hard to hold back her tears.

I went on, "Life happens in ways we don't expect it to. That is true for the bad and the good. Look at this, look at us. I didn't expect to feel this way about you. I didn't expect to...to fall for you." I brought both my hands up to hold her face. "But some things are out of our control."

Her tears spilled over and she leaned forward and wrapped her arms tightly around my neck. I held her to me and closed my eyes. There was no doubt in my mind, I was falling in love with this girl, and I was falling fast.

**Chapter end notes: A review would make my day, and I need a smile after the week I had :( ****.  
><strong>**Link to Chapter 9 teaser on my Twitter page Lindsay520**


	9. Chapter 9

Guarding Isabella

_Disclaimer:__All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

AH: All Human

_Rated: M  
><em>

Summary: Edward and Jacob are hired as professional bodyguards for the "2011 Isabella US Tour." What will happen when 'professional' suddenly turns 'personal' and feelings start to develop between the soft-spoken superstar and her new bodyguards?

***Check out my photo banner for GI, made by SoapyMayhem. Copy and paste ****http:/i1218 . photobucket . com/albums/dd404/Lindsay520/1guardingisbl2 . png**** (remove spaces) or visit my profile for a direct link. **

**Chapter notes: Thank you for all your wonderful reviews. They really lifted my spirits. I have some pretty amazing readers!**

**Chapter song(s):  
><strong>**Dashboard Confessional "Hands Down"  
><strong>**Holly Brook "What I Wouldn't Give"**

We were in Santa Fe the next morning. Showtime prep didn't start until 6:00 PM. We spent the day on the buses. Alice boarded our bus in the morning and gave all four of us guys a haircut. While she was trimming away, Bella prepared us a breakfast complete with scrambled eggs, bacon, cheesy hashbrowns and freshly brewed coffee.

"Mmm Bella, this is amazing!" Jasper said, scooping a heaping forkful of hashbrowns into his mouth. "These taste just like mom's recipe."

"It is mom's recipe." Bella said with a soft smile.

"Bella, can you make us breakfast _every_ morning?" Said Emmett scraping his plate clean.

"Ha! In your dreams!" Bella chuckled.

As everyone finished eating, I stood up and started collecting plates. Bella started to fill the sink with soapy water.

"I don't think so Bellie," Jacob said, grasping Bella's shoulders and leading her away from the sink. "The cook doesn't clean up. We'll do the dishes."

As I eyed his hands on her shoulders, I realized that Bella and I still hadn't come up with a game plan for what to do about Jacob.

Emmett, Jasper and Bella all decided to go visit Alice's bus and Jacob and I started the dishes. Alone. Silent. Awkward. What were we supposed to talk about?

Jacob broke the silence first.

"Hey man, I never got a chance to thank you for taking care of that stalker back in Austin." He said.

"Just doing my job." I said simply.

"That guy is lucky it wasn't me on duty that night." He said shaking his head. "Better you handled him than me because I'd probably be sitting in a jail cell right now."

I was silent for a moment, then said quietly, "You really care about her, don't you?"

Jacob was washing a plate. He circled the plate with the dishcloth about 20 times, silent, the plate was more than clean already. Finally he said, "Yeah...she's...really something else."

He handed me the plate and we made eye contact. I'm not sure what my face looked like, but it must have been disapproving because it triggered an immediate reaction out of him.

"Look man, I know what you're thinking. I know it's wrong, I know it could cost me my job, I know it's a fucked up situation. I'm already trying to deal with this shit on my own, I don't need you judging me too."

"Hey, I didn't say anything!" I said, frankly surprised at his outburst.

_"Shit." _Jacob said to himself under his breath. He handed me the last dish and pulled the plug in the sink. He grabbed the dish towel and dried his hands. "Sorry man, I don't mean to take it out on you. I'm just dealing with some shit right now." He mumbled tossing the towel onto the kitchen counter. He turned and walked down the bus aisle, climbed into his bunk and pulled the curtain closed.

Well that didn't solve anything.

I worked front stage for the Santa Fe show that night. About halfway through the show, some dudes kept trying to throw things up on stage, trying to catch Bella's attention. I walked through the stands and found them about 5 rows in.

"You two, come with me." I said, pointing at them. They pretended like they didn't hear me. They were a couple of young guys, maybe 18 or 19. I walked up to them and grabbed them both by their collars.

I pulled them to the exit ignoring their whining protests. "Next time show a little respect for the girl on stage! If I see your faces in here again, I'll personally take you both outside and show you what I do to anyone who disrespects Isabella!"

I released them with a hard shove and walked back to the front of the stage. They didn't try to sneak back in.

After the show Bella showered in her dressing room and changed into a pair of white cotton shorts and a green tank. Emmett and I checked the bus and signaled for Jasper and Jacob to bring her on. They got her safely to the bus and we were on our way to Denver.

We all dispersed throughout the bus. I watched as Bella took a seat in the middle of the couch. She curled one leg curled under the other and ran her hands through her damp hair. She pulled out her phone. I started to walk down the bus aisle and felt my phone vibrate.

_"Can't wait to finally be alone with you. Your bunk tonight?"_

I texted her back.

_"Me either. I'll be waiting for you."_

I walked into the bathroom and took a quick shower. I threw on a black wife-beater and a pair of gray sweats. When I walked out of the bathroom, I looked down the bus aisle and saw that Bella was gone and only the three guys were sitting on the couch watching TV. Bella's door was closed and I knew she was in there.

I climbed into my bunk and sat leaned up against the wall. I grabbed my phone and texted her.

_"Everyone's up front, can you come here now?"_

A minute later, she pulled my curtain aside and climbed in, smiling from ear to ear. I pulled her onto my lap and hugged her.

"Oh it feels so good to be in your arms." She said quietly. She pulled out of the hug and kissed my lips. I deepened the kiss and before I knew it, we were quickly becoming breathless and eager. We lowered down onto the bed.

I started to kiss down her neck and over her chest. Bella's hands were around my back and I felt her gather the fabric of my wife-beater in her fists. She pulled it up and I broke contact with her skin for just a moment to let her pull it over my head. I continued to kiss along her chest and over her shoulder.

I brought my hand up and curled my finger under the strap of her tank top. I lifted the strap and pulled it aside, letting if fall down on her shoulder. I kissed over her bare shoulder and moved to the other one, doing the same. Her hardened nipples were visible through her thin tank. Mmm, I want to see more. I brought my hand up to the middle of her chest and grabbed her tank top. I pulled it down over her breasts, and left it gathered underneath. Oh so fucking perfect. I brought my mouth over to one nipple and opened my mouth. I hovered over it, breathing on it. She was writhing beneath me. I brought my tongue out and touched it. She tilted her head back and gasped. I moved over to the other one and lightly flicked it with my tongue. She let out a soft whimper.

Bella bent her legs up around me. She closed her knees around my hips and slowly thrust upward, applying pressure against her center. Mmmm, you want some attention down there do you?

I started to move down her body. I moved down to her stomach and used my thumb to slide her tank up and out of the way. Her stomach was perfect, gorgeous. I brought my face down and kissed her soft, warm skin, starting above her belly-button and gradually moving down. She was gasping silently and her stomach moved up and down with each rapid breath. My mouth found the top of her shorts.

I grabbed her shorts and started to pull them down. I pulled them off and tossed them next to us. What a vision. She wore nothing but the tank top carelessly bunched up under her chest. Her legs were still bent up around me and I settled down on my stomach between them. There it was. God was she fucking hot. She couldn't be more perfect. I turned my head and kissed her inner thigh. She shuddered.

_"Edward...oh God..." _She breathed. I looked up at her. She had lifted her hands above her head and was grabbing the pillow behind her in anticipation. Her eyes were closed and her mouth was open. She looked so fucking sexy with her top pushed down and the look of pure want on her face. I moved a little lower and kissed the apex of where her hip and thigh met. She lifted her ass up off the bed and gasped loudly.

_"Shhh."_ I whispered, lightly trailing my mouth over the outside of her lips.

I continued to lightly graze over her with my mouth. Moisture started to seep out of her middle and I brought my tongue out. I dabbed my tongue on it and she softly cried out...oh fuuuuck she tasted incredible. She was trembling. I glanced up at her. She had turned her head to the side and was squeezing her eyes closed and breathing hard into the pillow. I brought my hand up and used my index finger to touch the wetness that was dripping out of her. I spread it around her outer lips.

_"Edward...I can't take it...please_..." She cried out softly with agony. I trailed my finger up the outside one more time. Then, I used two fingers to open her up and I pressed my tongue against her.

Her hips jerked up off the bed and I grabbed hold of her thighs to keep her steady. She moaned but quickly tried to contain the sound. I started to explore her with my tongue, closing my eyes and tasting her sweetness at the same time. She was so goddamn wet. My tongue slid through her and played with her folds.

Bella was squirming uncontrolably and doing everything in her power to remain silent. I took pride in going down on a woman. I felt I was sufficiently skilled in this area and I enjoyed nothing more than making a woman come with my mouth.

I ran my tongue down lower and found her opening. I dipped my tongue inside and she pressed her hips against my mouth. Want more do you? I pulled my tongue out, brought my finger to her opening and moved my mouth up to her clit. Then I slid my finger inside and touched her clit with my tongue at the same time.

_"Oh my God! Oh fuck Edward!"_ She cried out. Ooh, that language. Who knew soft-spoken Isabella had a mouth on her? I liked it. I added a second finger and applied a little more pressure to her clit.

She was trying to form words but she could only half-gasp, half-cry out. I pressed my tongue flat against it and then gently sucked on it. She jerked up off the bed, bending forward at the waist. She was now sitting with her legs spread open wide and her arms pressed into the mattress behind her.

I continued to slide my fingers in and out of her, then pressed my tongue flat against her again and started to move it back and forth. I looked up at her, she met my eyes. I moved it faster and watched as she closed her eyes, opened her mouth, gasped, then fell silent. I felt her clench around my fingers. There it was. That's right baby girl, come for me.

She lost all control and cried out...loud.

Shit.

Someone smacked my curtain.

"Edward! Turn the porn down dude! No one wants to hear that shit!" I heard Emmett's voice boom out.

Shit. Oh my God. Shit. They heard. They heard. They thought...it was...porn? I climbed up Bella and she had her hand covering her mouth and was stifling...laughter! I collapsed next to her and lost it, turning into the pillow and laughing my ass off.

We listened as the guys walked through the bus aisle, in and out of the bathroom, and climbed into their bunks. They were chatting and laughing, and about 15 minutes later, the bus fell silent.

Bella and I looked at each other, then turned into the pillow and started cracking up all over again.

The next day, everyone was in high spirits. We were all excited about the Denver show because it was the last show before we headed back to L.A. for a 4 week promotional break. Bella had a new single coming out and Rose had set aside this time in the tour to focus on that. The tour would pick up again in Salt Lake City a month later.

I sat in the kitchen with my cup of coffee and Bella eyed me from the couch, eating a bowl of cereal. The rest of the guys were all sitting around.

Emmett plopped down in the chair across from me with a bagel hanging out of his mouth. He took a bite then asked,

"So how was the flick? Did the pizza delivery guy watch, or join in?"

I nearly choked on my sip of coffee and I saw Bella's eyes widen in surprise. Jasper and Jacob started to laugh hysterically from where they were sitting in the front room.

I leaned over the table and smacked Emmett upside the head.

The Denver show was uneventful. For security, not for Bella. Bella performed her ass off. I worked as front guard 2 and found it extremely difficult to tear my eyes away from her. She looked beautiful in a lacy, black, corset-style dress and black stilettos. Alice had styled her hair in an up-do and her make-up was dark, and smoky. Incredibly sexy.

After the show everyone was anxious to get on the road back to L.A. so we hurried onto the buses and were off. Bella, still in her stage dress, opened a bottle of wine. We all toasted to a fantastic show to kick-off the promotional break.

After a few glasses of wine, Bella decided to go take a shower and the four of us guys sat on the couch with the TV playing in the background.

"Listen guys," Jasper started, leaning forward in his seat, "I just want to thank you all for everything you've done for Bella to help her get past such a tough spot in her life. I haven't seen my sister like this in years. She's talking, smiling, actually enjoying herself, and I know it's because each of you have offered your friendship to her. You really mean a lot to Bella, I can tell. And you really mean a lot to this tour. I know I can count on you guys. So thanks for that."

Jacob smacked Jasper on the back. "Don't go gettin' all soft on us Jaz."

I spoke up, "Yeah, you know we've got Bella's back, always."

"She's like our little sister too Jasper, we're all family on this tour." Said Emmett.

"I appreciate it guys." Jasper said. "Now let's get some rest. We kick off a busy month in L.A. tomorrow."

Bella snuck into my bunk and snuggled into my side, her bare legs entwining with mine. The wine knocked her out fast and she was asleep within minutes. I laid, holding her, gently brushing my hand over her hair. Jasper's words kept echoing in my head,

_"...because each of you have offered your friendship to her...I know I can count on you guys..."_

I couldn't help but feel a tinge of guilt. Jasper was putting his trust in me to be a guard for his sister, and here I was, sleeping with her behind his back. We weren't just sleeping together though, we cared for each other. Did that matter? It had to count for something. What would he do if he found out? He couldn't find out. We had to be very careful. Nobody couldn't find out.

The next morning, we said goodbye to the band and stage crew and the four of us, along with Bella, Alice, and Rose all met in a conference room on the top floor of Rose's L.A. headquarters. Rose clicked around in her high heels passing out the schedule.

"Alright, so today is Monday, January 24. Tuesday the 25 is the Rolling Stone Magazine photoshoot. Wednesday the 26 we are off. Thursday the 27 is the release date and Bella will introduce the new single during an in-studio appearance for the On-Air with Ryan Seacrest show. Friday the 28 is the Ellen show. She'll sing and promote the single."

"We have a rare Saturday off on the 29 and Sunday the 30 is the Lakers Game where Bella will sing the National Anthem. We'll meet back here Monday the 30 for next week's agenda which will be mostly info on the music video shoot."

Jasper stood up. "Ok, personal assignments. Edward will be guard for Tuesday's photoshoot. Jacob for Wednesday's radio appearance. Me for Friday's Ellen, and all four of us for the Laker's game."

"Sweet!" Jacob said.

Jasper narrowed his eyes at him. "You'll be watching Bella, not the game."

"Of course." Jacob said, giving him a sheepish grin.

After the meeting, we piled into 2 cabs and headed to the building where our subleased apartments were. Since we all lived scattered throughout California and a few of us even lived out of state, Rose had arranged a sublease for 3 apartments in the same building. It was the same building that Bella had an apartment in for the past 4 years. They did everything they could to accommodate her during her stays in L.A. They furnished the subleased apartments in advance in preparation for our month-long stay.

Bella was very quiet on the drive there. She sat in between Rose and I, Emmett sat in the front seat. Rose was rummaging through her purse and pulled out a key.

"Edward, Emmett? Who are you rooming with?" Rose asked, holding the key out.

"I'm obviously rooming with Alice. Who are you guys rooming with?"

I hadn't even realized...3 apartments for 6 people...of course we would have a roommate. Not Jacob, not Jasper...

"Emmett, wanna be roomies?" I said quickly, before he could throw a name out.

"Geez man, we just met, and you wanna move in together already?"

I reached forward and smacked him in the shoulder.

He laughed. "Yeah, man, that's cool. But I have to warn you, I sleep naked."

I groaned.

Both cabs pulled up to the building and we all got out. As we were gathering our luggage, I nudged Bella gently.

"You OK?" I asked her softly. She didn't meet my eyes, just nodded her head.

Jasper pulled Bella's bags out of the trunk and I reached for them. "Jasper, I'll help carry Bella's bags up."

It was a very private and secure building. There were even a few other high profile celebrities that rented in the same building. Bella didn't need a guard by her side while she stayed here. It had a gated entrance that could only be opened electronically by a security guard on duty. It had an abundance of video surveillance cameras throughtout the building. High tech security alarm systems were installed in each apartment.

We rode the elevator up to the 8th floor, Bella's floor. She was still quiet. Hadn't said a word all morning. We walked to her door and she pulled out her key. She unlocked it and opened it up. We stepped inside and I set her bags down. She looked around, her face was blank.

I stared at her. Something was up. She wasn't acting like herself. She stood there for the longest time, just looking at everything in the apartment, not making a sound.

Then, a few minutes later, she took a step forward. She walked up to an end table beside the living room couch and picked up a framed photograph. It was a photo of her and Michael. She looked at it, then, without warning, she brought her arm back, and hurled it across the room. It smashed into the wall and the glass inside the frame shattered into a hundred pieces. I didn't know what to say or do.

She wasn't done.

She walked up to her coffee table which was covered with candles and little glass artifacts. She bent down, and swung her arms across the surface, pushing everything off and scattering it across the floor. Then she turned and walked with determination over to a curio cabinet which sat against the far wall. Inside were various music awards including three Grammys. She roughly pulled the glass door open and yanked the shelf out, causing all of the awards to go tumbling and crashing down. She bent down and started to throw the awards across the room. One hit and cracked a window.

Tears were streaming down her face and I knew I had to intervene. I rushed over to her and tried to pull her to me. She pushed against my chest and continued to throw things. She was sobbing now. I reached for her again, but she wouldn't let me touch her.

_"No! I can't look at anything in here! It's all Michael! It's all him! This whole goddamn apartment is Michael! I can't do this! I can't! I can't look at any of it! Get it all out of my sight!"_

Then she sank down to her hands and knees, sobbing hysterically. I was right beside her and pulled her into my arms. This time, she let me. She was gasping in between sobs.

_"Bella..."_ Is all I could say. She was hurting immensely and it hurt me to see her in such pain. All I wanted to do was comfort her. Her whole body shook uncontrolably as she cried hysterically into my shoulder.

We sat, surrounded by broken glass and various other scattered belongings. I held her tight to my chest until her sobs started to lessen and her body stopped trembling. She eventually detached from my shoulder and looked up at me. Her eyes were still full of tears and her lip quivered.

_"How can one person give you so much, and take so much away at the same time?"_ She said very quietly. She didn't wait, or even want a response. She just leaned her head back down against my shoulder and I closed my eyes and held her as close as possible to me.

**Chapter end notes: For those listening to the chapter 10 songs, the song** **"Hands Down" by Dashboard Confessional had some pretty perfect lyrics for their sexy time in the bunk…**_**"Stay quiet, stay near, stay close they can't hear...so we can get some" **_**;)**

**Also, the Holly Brook song "What I Wouldn't Give" had absolute perfect lyrics for the end of this chapter. I can't even pick one perfect line, the **_**whole song**_** is perfect!**

**Link to Chapter 10 teaser on my Twitter page Lindsay520**


	10. Chapter 10

Guarding Isabella

_Disclaimer:__All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

AH: All Human

_Rated: M  
><em>

Summary: Edward and Jacob are hired as professional bodyguards for the "2011 Isabella US Tour." What will happen when 'professional' suddenly turns 'personal' and feelings start to develop between the soft-spoken superstar and her new bodyguards?

***Check out my photo banner for GI, made by SoapyMayhem. Copy and paste ****http:/i1218 . photobucket . com/albums/dd404/Lindsay520/1guardingisbl2 . png**** (remove spaces) or visit my profile for a direct link. **

**Chapter notes: I enjoyed reading what everyone liked about the last chapter. I also like to hear what people think is going to happen next. Sometimes you even give me ideas ;) **

**Chapter song(s):  
><strong>**This might be my new favorite band:  
><strong>**Secondhand Serenade "Vulnerable"  
><strong>**Secondhand Serenade "Stranger"**

Bella and I rode the elevator down one floor. We walked side by side, and I had my arm wrapped tightly around her. I led her to my apartment and opened the door. Emmett sat on the couch rummaging through a gym bad. He looked up and smiled.

"Edward, Bells! What's up guys?" Then his face turned serious when he saw Bella's face. I held up my finger to Emmett and led Bella down the hall and into the bedroom that would be mine.

She crawled into the bed. I pulled her shoes off and pulled the blanket over her.

"Just lie down here and rest for a while OK?" I said softly. She nodded her head and I leaned down and kissed her forehead. I walked out of the room and closed the door behind me. I walked back into the living room and Emmett was standing there, staring at me.

"What's up man?" He asked quietly.

I sighed. "She can't stay in that apartment."

Emmett looked confused at first, then realization hit him. "Ohhh." He said. "Of course. She shared that place with Michael for the past couple of years."

I nodded.

"Man, I don't blame her. Too many memories all over that place."

I sat down on the couch and brought my hands into my hair.

Emmett sat down too. "So now what, is she staying here with us?"

"At least for now. She's resting in my room."

"I don't mind if she stays here, and I know you don't mind if she stays here. So go get her bags and bring them down." Said Emmett.

Wait. What did he just say?

"What was that Emmett?" I asked, frowning.

"What?" He asked.

"Did you just say you know I don't mind if she stays here?" I said, repeating what he had just said.

"Yeah." He said. We stared at each other. Emmett raised his hands up to his sides, "You're in love with her, why wouldn't you want her to stay here."

WHAT?

I stood up. "Wh...What are you talking about?"

"Edward. I'm a lot smarter than I look. A lot. Sit down man."

I slowly lowered back down to the couch and stared at Emmett with wide eyes. Emmett continued,

"I'm going to let you in on a little secret. But it stays between us and us only, got it?"

I nodded. Keeping his voice soft, he said, "I've been hooking up with Rose for the past 4 years."

My mouth dropped open.

He went on, "I'm kind of an expert in that area. You know, sneaking around. Unlike Jasper and Alice, they couldn't hide it if their lives depended on it. As for you and Bella...you're still new at this, I get it. I can probably offer you some tips though."

"So wait...are you saying...you know?"

"About you and Bella, sure I know." He said shrugging his shoulders. "Like I said, I'm kind of an expert in that area, and I know the signs. I can see it between you two."

"Does...does anybody else know? Does _Jasper_ know?"

"No, nobody else knows. Jasper doesn't know, just as Jasper doesn't know about me and Rose. That's how it should stay. Trust me, you don't want to see the wrath of Jasper if he finds out somebody he trusts is banging his sister."

I frowned.

"Sorry man, that sounded bad. I know you really care about her." Emmett said.

The two of us sat in silence for a moment. My mind was racing.

"So, how long have you known?"

"Hmm, let's see. I started seeing some of the signs about 2 1/2 weeks ago. Then I picked up on some crazy vibes between you, her and Jacob a little over a week ago. I don't even _want_ to know what that was all about. Then things got pretty intense after the Austin show."

"Dude, are you freaking psychic or something?" I asked with shock, standing up again. I started to pace the room. "All this time. All this time...you knew, and you never said anything?

"It's best not to say anything. Trust me." He said.

Then I remembered something. "Wait, so, the other night, in the bunks, when you heard..."

"Dude," He said standing up, "I covered your ass back there! We all heard it! You are damn lucky I called you out on porn and the guys believed it!"

I couldn't hold it back. I cracked a smile. Then we both started to crack up in laughter.

"You owe me dude, you owe me big-time!" He said, still laughing.

"Yeah yeah, OK, I owe you. Thanks man." I said reaching my hand out to him. He slapped my hand and grabbing it in a half-shake.

After our laugh, we sat back down and got serious. "For real though man, your secret's safe with me." Emmett said. "But I'm telling you right now, you better treat her like a freaking queen, because she deserves nothing less. She's seriously like a sister to me and if you hurt her, I swear to God I will hurt you worse." He said, staring directly into my eyes.

"I got you man." I said, holding eye contact. "I got you. There's no way I'm going to hurt her. She's my entire world." I said quietly. "She's seriously my entire world."

Emmett went down to check out the building's gym. I went back up to Bella's apartment and grabbed her bags. I brought them into our apartment and realized I never even had a chance to look around our new place.

I stood in the living room. It had hardwood floors. There was a dark green sofa, loveseat and chair. End tables with lamps sat on either side of the sofa and a glass coffee table sat in the middle. A 50" TV hung on the wall.

To the left was a breakfast bar that separated the living room and the kitchen. Stools lined the counter. The kitchen had black appliances and shiny granite counter tops.

A hallway extended off to the right, leading to two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a laundry room. I peeked in the bathroom. It was big. It had a large whirlpool tub with a blue and silver striped shower curtain pulled around it. There was a big mirror over a long vanity with drawers, cabinets and a large bowl sink in the middle.

I walked back over to my bedroom and quietly opened the door. Bella was curled up in a tiny ball, sleeping. The bed was king-sized and sat in the middle of the far wall. A big dresser and armoire sat on opposite ends of the room and a large walk-in closet was across from the bed.

I walked over to the bed. My heart melted when I looked at her. I kicked my shoes off and slipped into bed beside her. I gently pulled her to me, careful not to wake her up.

I started to think about everything she had to endure with Michael. He started her career. He made her a huge success, but at the same time, he took her heart, her body, and her self-esteem. Bella wasn't Michael's happiness, drugs were. She was second best to him, not quite good enough. He always needed his fix before Bella. I could only imagine how that made Bella feel. She would never be my second-best. She would always be number one in my eyes. There was nothing more important to me than Bella.

Michael had trapped her. He had held her back with threats. To take his own life is selfish in itself, but to commit it in front of the person you love, in an act of blame, is beyond selfish...it was cruel and damaging. Obviously she felt responsible for his death. I wanted to do everything in my power to help her realize that it wasn't her fault. She didn't pull that trigger.

I knew that people coped with grief and trauma in many different ways. Some people sought counseling. Some people took months or even years to heal and re-build their lives. Bella didn't do any of this. She continued on with her career and tried to ignore it.

Eventually, that emotion builds up and needs to go somewhere. I was certain that Bella had reached her breaking point the night I walked in and found her crying on the floor. When we slept together, she probably knew of no other way to cope that night. Not knowing what was causing her pain, I responded to her. Had I known, things may have turned out differently.

With no time to grieve or heal emotionally, Bella was extremely vulnerable. Her inhibitions were already compromised due to her damaged state of mind. Add a lot of alcohol, and I'm not surprised she had completely blocked out her common sense and logic during the night of the threesome.

I could only hope that I hadBella's forgiveness for acting as I did that night with her and Jacob. She certainly had my forgiveness. It would be selfish for me _not_ to forgive her. As much hurt and pain it had caused me to know that Bella had given her body to the both of us at the same time, I was certain that my pain was in no comparison to the hurt and pain that Bella was forced to deal with over the past few years. My pain was futile compared to hers.

I smoothed my hand over Bella's hair and looked at her calm, sleeping face. She deserved happiness. Nothing less. I would provide it to her. I wanted to provide _everything_ to her. I leaned my face in close to hers. _"I love you Bella_." I whispered to her as she slept.

But she wasn't asleep. Her eyes fluttered open and met mine.

I was caught off guard. "Bella...I..."

"You love me?" She asked.

I swallowed. "Bella, I know it's soon. It's really really soon...but I do. I can't ignore it. This thing we have, it's..."

"It's real." She said, finishing my sentence.

"It's very real." I said, bringing my hand to her face. I leaned in and kissed her lips.

Our lips pulled apart. "I love you too Edward." She said softly.

I closed my eyes. _"Oh my God Bella."_ I whispered. Was this really happening? It was too good to be true.

She went on, "I thought I was crazy for loving you so soon. These things normally take time. But...I can't ignore it either."

I gently curled my hand around the back of her neck and pulled her into another kiss. Our mouths were meant to move together. I slid my hand down her neck, over her shoulder and arm. I gently grasped her elbow and brought her arm up and over my shoulder.

She shifted forward and pressed her entire body against mine, wrapping her arm around me. We continued to kiss and I brought my hands down to her waist. I gripped her hips and rolled her on top of me. She was straddling my waist now and I slipped my hands beneath her shirt and started to rub my fingers across her lower back.

Our mouths broke apart and Bella started to kiss over my cheek and down to my neck. I closed my eyes.

_"Edward..."_ She murmured against my neck.

_"Yes baby?"_ I whispered, moving my hands a little further up her back.

_"I need you more than anything Edward. Please...no matter what...please, stay with me."_

I loved her, I needed her, and I knew she needed me. I knew how difficult it was for her to open her heart and let _anybody_ in...but she was letting me in. How did I get so lucky? She was letting me in. This was real.

I pulled her tight to me. _"Bella, I need you as much as you need me. I'm not going anywhere...I love you."_

I heard a soft cry escape her lips and she pressed her forehead against my shoulder. I turned my face and my lips met her temple. My hands found the bottom of her t-shirt and I started to slide it up. She lifted up slightly and I pulled it over her head and tossed it on the floor beside the bed.

She reached down and slipped her hands beneath my t-shirt. Her warm hands slid all over my stomach and she eventually started to push the shirt up. I lifted my back off the bed and helped her pull it off of me. She tossed it in the same spot her shirt fell and came back down to me.

She started to kiss over my neck and down my chest. I trailed my fingers up and down her back and found the clasp of her bra. I un-did the clasp and it opened up and fell down the sides of her arms. She continued to kiss down my body. My muscles contracted when her lips trailed lightly over my stomach. She brought her tongue out and placed several open-mouthed kisses all over my stomach. I closed my eyes again. Oh God, it felt incredible. Her mouth, her tongue...Jesus.

When I opened my eyes again, Bella had let her bra slip off her arms and had thrown it on the floor. Oh my God her breasts were perfect, absolutely perfect. I started to reach forward to touch them, but stopped mid-reach when I saw her pop the button on my jeans. She slowly pulled down the zipper and started to pull them down. She slid them over my hips and I helped push them the rest of the way down and off. My erection was begging to escape my boxers.

Bella sat back on her heels and I saw her eyes traveling all over my body. I bent at the waist and sat up. I reached for her and she wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me, her breasts pressing up against my chest. I had one arm wrapped around her back and I used the other hand to touch the top of her jeans at the small of her back. I slipped my hand down inside her jeans and panties, she gasped during our kiss. I started moving my hand over her ass.

I felt her beautiful, tight ass, rubbing my hand up and down her smooth skin. Her body, it was...it was..._God_, there were no words. I was in love with every part of her. I pulled my hand out of her jeans and brought it around between us. Bella pulled back and knelt in front of me. She looked into my eyes as I found the button to her jeans and un-did it. She closed her eyes when I pulled the zipper down. I pushed them down her hips and we pulled them off together. She sat before me in just a pair of gray panties now.

Just as I was about to reach for her again, she was pressing her mouth against mine and lowering me back down to the bed. We lay chest to chest and my erection pressed against her stomach between us. I felt her shift her weight to press harder against my dick and I let out a gasp. Then she started to move down. She trailed her face down my neck, chest, stomach, and over my boxers.

I felt her grab the top of the shorts and start to pull them down. I lifted my head off the bed. She pulled them off and threw them aside. She brought her face back over my cock and I watched as she licked her lips. Oh God, I was so fucking turned on right now. But Bella had only had me in her mouth the one time, when she was completely drunk...

"Bella, you don't have to if you don't want to..."

"Edward, shhhh. I want to make you feel good. Just relax sweetie." She murmured her voice full of love.

She leaned down and her breasts touched between my legs, brushing against my balls. Oh Jesus. Her hair draped down around her face, spreading out over my lower stomach. Then I felt her tongue. Oh fuck...she ran her tongue up it, _oh god! _I groaned out loud and brought both my hands up to my head, grabbing onto my hair. She circled the tip then slowly licked down the other side. I felt her hand wrap around it and she held it while she ran her tongue up, around, and down it again.

I could barely hold still, it felt so goddamn good. Then she brought her entire mouth up to the tip and slowly sunk down onto it, filling her entire mouth.

_"Oh God!_ I moaned, feeling the hot wetness inside her mouth.

She slowly started to bob up and down my shaft, with her hand wrapped around it at the same time. Every time she'd sink down onto it, the tips of her breasts would touch the tops of my thighs, and her hair continued to tickle along my stomach, driving every part of me crazy. She started to stroke it with her hand, following the same trail as her lips. Down, up, down, up, down, up. Jesus Christ this felt fucking amazing.

I found my hand traveling down to her head. I gently touched the back of her head, and slid my fingers through her soft hair. My hand moved up and down with her head as she continued to take me in deeper and deeper. I felt my tip hit the back of her throat and I almost came, "Oh_ God_ Bella..." I needed her to slow down or I was going to lose it. I touched her shoulders and she released me from her mouth, looking up at me with half-closed eyes.

"What is it baby?" She asked, continuing to stroke me with her hand. I bent forward at my waist and she let go, sitting back on her heels. I reached forward and touched over her panties, sliding my hand between her legs and over her center. Fuck, she was soaked.

I rubbed up and down the crease through her panties. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back slightly. I slipped a finger under the elastic and started to pull them down. She raised up on her knees a little and allowed me to slide them down. Once her panties were off, I carefully grabbed her by both shoulders and lowered her down onto the bed.

I knelt between her legs and looked her over. She laid there, knees slightly bent, stomach rising and falling with every rapid breath, nipples pink and hard with arousal. She stared up at me through her lashes, it was fucking ridiculous how gorgeous she was.

I leaned over her and grabbed hold of my dick. I brought it to her center and started to slide the tip up and down through her folds. She bent her legs up a little more and moaned out. I found her clit and circled around it a few times.

_"Oh...God."_ She whispered, closing her eyes. I watched her start to squirm. I continued to rub against her clit to see how far I could go before making her come. Her hips started to move in a circular motion, and I watched as she brought her hands down to her stomach and slide them up her body, further and further until she found both her breasts, and she gently grabbed them. Oh fuck she was hot. I continued to circle her clit with my tip and I brought my face down to her neck. I kissed her, bringing my tongue out and moving down to her throat and up the other side. She was gasping now. I couldn't wait any longer.

_"Let me love you Bella. Let me show you."_ I breathed. Then I slid my cock down through her wetness and pushed easily into her opening. She moaned out as I filled her, tilting her head back and arching her back off the bed. Being inside of her was like a dream. There was nothing better than being inside, being connected to, the one and only person you love more than anything. I was as close as possible to her and that's all I wanted. That's all I ever wanted.

I started to move in and out of her and she slowly opened her eyes to look at me. I had both my fists pressed into the bed beside her face. I leaned down and kissed her lips. She brought her hands around the back of my head and held me to her face. We kissed hungrily as I continued to thrust into her. I felt her bend her legs further up around my hips. I started to move faster. Bella moved her hands from my head and trailed them down my back and over my ass. She grabbed it, pulling me in as deep as possible.

_"Mmm, Bella..."_ I murmured against her mouth. I started to thrust even harder, causing her body to shift upward. She raised her arms over her head and pushed her hands flat against the headboard, creating leverage.

_"Oh God Edward." _She groaned out.

_"Oh shit, oh my God..."_ I was so close. I heard Bella's gasps start to quicken. I raised my face above hers and we locked eyes. Then she opened that pretty little mouth of hers and I felt her tip over the edge. Her walls tightened up around me and I let myself go, groaning out loud as I came hard with her. I crashed my lips down onto hers again. We were both grinding up against each other as our orgasms consumed us. I never wanted it to stop, I couldn't get enough. She totally consumed me. She was my whole world.

As our bodies and breathing started to come down from the rush, I slowly and carefully lowered myself down on top of her. Our chests pressed together and I trailed my nose down her cheek and nuzzled into her neck, inhaling her scent. We laid there, connected, feeling each other's heartbeat return back to normal.

_"I love you Bella."_ I whispered into her ear.

She wrapped her arms around my neck and let out a soft cry. _"I love you too Edward. So much."_

**Chapter end notes: Anyone listen to the chapter songs? Here's a line in the song "Vulnerable" by Secondhand Serenade: "just because you were hurt doesn't mean you shouldn't bleed". For this story, seriously? Perfection.**

**Link to Chapter 11 teaser on my Twitter page Lindsay520**


	11. Chapter 11

Guarding Isabella

_Disclaimer:__All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

AH: All Human

_Rated: M  
><em>

Summary: Edward and Jacob are hired as professional bodyguards for the "2011 Isabella US Tour." What will happen when 'professional' suddenly turns 'personal' and feelings start to develop between the soft-spoken superstar and her new bodyguards?

***Check out my photo banner for GI, made by SoapyMayhem. Copy and paste ****http:/i1218 . photobucket . com/albums/dd404/Lindsay520/1guardingisbl2 . png**** (remove spaces) or visit my profile for a direct link. **

**Chapter notes: I love posting new chapters because I love to see all those reviews flying into my inbox! What a great feeling!**

**Chapter song(s):  
><strong>**Taproot "Violent Seas"  
><strong>**Chevelle "The Red"**

The next morning, Bella and I were up early to leave for her Rolling Stone magazine photoshoot. I was thrilled to be working as personal guard for Bella today. I was thrilled with any time alone with Bella. We each showered and came walking out into the living room. Emmett was sitting at the breakfast bar eating a bowl of cereal in nothing but a pair of tighty-whities.

"Dude, really?" I called out. He turned to look at us.

"Hey, consider yourselves lucky, I told you I normally sleep naked."

We walked out the door with me shaking my head and Bella chuckling.

We arrived at the building and were led into a studio full of backdrops, props, and a ton of professional camera equipment. People were busily setting up different scenes that Bella would be posing in.

A young woman led Bella to a dressing room and I followed. The woman ushered us in with a smile, "Claire and Parker will be with you in just a moment. They'll start on your hair and make-up." Bella smiled and thanked her. As soon as the door closed, Bella popped up on her tip-toes and wrapped her arms around my neck.

I kissed her with a smile and wrapped my arms around her back.

I closed my eyes and loved the feeling of her body pressed up against mine. We heard a knock and quickly pulled apart.

I opened the door and was greeted by two of the craziest looking individuals. The woman was in her mid forties and had hair like a peacock with various streaks of hot pink. She had bright green eyes with obnoxious false lashed and had what was, I'm pretty sure, a painted mole next to her left eye. She wore bright spandex clothing with far too many accessories and Converse sneakers which were similar to the ones Bella wore on her feet.

The man was super skinny, lanky and pale. He looked about 25 and had bleached blond hair with red and auburn highlights that swept across his forehead. He had a nose piercing and several ear piercings. He wore a pink polo shirt and skinny jeans.

The woman spoke first, "Hi doll!" She said to me. "I'm Claire and this is Parker! We're here for Miss Isabella's hair and make-up!"

Oh boy. These two were her hair and make-up artists? This should be interesting. I stepped aside and they walked in. I took a seat behind them and watched them work on her. Bella sat on a stool in front of a mirror with bright lights. Bella and I were eying each other up through the mirror. We'd smile and flirt with each other in silence. At one point she mouthed the words "love you" and I grinned from ear to ear and mouthed "love you too" back to her.

The man and woman finished and I was surprised at the end results. The woman had done her up in shimmering gold make-up, dark eyeliner and added subtle false eyelashes, nowhere near as large as the tarantulas on her own eyes. The man added extensions to make her hair appear very full, and he curled her hair in big waves. She looked amazing.

They left and Bella hopped off the stool and came strolling over to me. She looked so cute all made up and wearing a faded band t-shirt and jeans with a hole in the knee.

I grabbed her hands and leaned down to her. Not wanting to mess up her make-up, I placed a kiss under her ear on her neck, and inhaled. She shuddered. I loved that I had that effect on her.

A minute later, the door swung open and I quickly dropped Bella's hands. A tall girl with stick-straight blond hair and thick squared-off bangs walked in. She looked about 27. She wore a white pants suit, similar to the kind Rose wore. She held a clipboard and didn't even glance up at Isabella, or say hello.

"I'm Brooklynn. I will be directing the photoshoot today. The stylist will be here in 5 minutes to dress you and then I will take you to the photographer, Jacques." She said, pronouncing the photographer's name in proper French. She was writing on the clipboard the entire time she spoke.

She continued, "You will have three changes in clothing and three set changes. Questions?" She said, finally looking up to meet Bella's eyes.

"Um, no." Bella said quietly. Brooklynn turned and walked out. Bella and I looked at each other. I didn't like that girl's attitude.

Moments later, there was a knock and I opened it. The stylist came in pulling a rolling clothing rack and holding a clipboard. She smiled warmly and introduced herself as Heather. She was about 30 something and looked normal. She picked out Bella's first outfit and then glanced over at me. Naturally, she assumed Bella would like some privacy to change into her clothing.

"I'll be right outside." I said, leaving Bella in the dressing room with the woman.

Bella came walking out in a tight, provocative gold dress with a plunging neckline that touched her navel. She wore gold platform heels. She walked very carefully as if she was afraid the dress would slip out of place if she moved the wrong way. She looked up at me and smiled meekly. She looked uncomfortable. My poor Bella.

Brooklynn and the photographer were standing in the center of the room talking. Brooklynn noticed Bella and called her over. I followed, standing off to the side. I watched various people pop in and out of the studio, always being aware of Bella's surroundings. They spent about 40 minutes on the first set. Bella posed on a set which was made to look like a cocktail lounge. She posed on a piano and beside a bar.

I cringed when they made her lie across the piano. She looked beautiful of course, with her hair cascading down the piano and her body posed in a sultry stance, but I could tell she was still very uncomfortable. She was a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl, she wasn't this.

Bella was taken back to the dressing room to prep for her next setting. This time, she came out in an over-sized men's dress shirt and white socks pulled up to her knees. They had toned her makeup down a little and applied some clear gloss over her lips. They had teased her hair to look messy.

I followed Bella to a set that looked like a cheap motel. The photographer spoke quietly to Brooklynn and Brooklynn called out instructions for Bella. They made her kneel on the bed and grab her shirt. They wanted her to pull it up and expose her stomach. Her brow furrowed and I was frowning.

Rolling Stone magazine was notorious for extremely sexy photos. They've had people wearing next to nothing, and some even completely nude. They've been known to push limits and cause controversy. Bella wasn't a controversial person.

I watched as Bella bit into her lip and sighed. She looked back and forth at the photographer and Brooklyn.

Brooklynn spoke up, "Please pull it up Isabella. We're on a time schedule here."

My frown deepened. Bella did as she was told. They had her in lacy pastel pink panties beneath and Brooklynn continued to direct her in various suggestive poses.

The last outfit was a pair of skin tight, low cut leather pants and spiked heels. Her top was nothing but a slashed and tattered leather vest. You could see her skin through the slits. Bella's face was pale when she walked out of the dressing room.

I walked up to her and said quietly and discreetly, "If you're not OK with this, we can tell them to change it."

"Heather said this was what Brooklynn wants. She's looking for 'shock value'." Bella muttered, looking at the floor.

The next set was made to look like a stage with a microphone stand in the middle. Brooklynn was talking quietly with the photographer and several minutes passed before she finally looked up.

"We're actually going to have you remove the vest please." She called out. "You will stand with both of your hands on the microphone with your arms covering your breasts."

My mouth dropped open. All I could envision was a busy city street, a crowded newsstand, and a bunch of smiling men standing around holding the magazine open, drooling all over my girl's pictures. Jesus, men would be taking this magazine home and getting off on these photos! This was unacceptable.

Bella was staring, wide-eyed at Brooklynn. "Um...I don't know..."

"You'll be covered. Even if something shows, we'll edit it out." Brooklynn said, waving her hand nonchalantly.

"Well yes...but, even if nothing is showing, it's still a little...racy." Bella said. That's my girl. I was glad she was speaking up.

"That's what we're going for, racy, shock, sex." Brooklynn replied, not looking up from her clipboard.

"I just think...being topless is a little much. Isn't the vest sexy enough?" Bella said, looking down at the shredded leather, prestigious placed around her nipples.

Brooklynn looked up from her clipboard. Then in a very slow and patronizing tone she said, "Have you ever heard of the phrase, 'sex sells'?"

Bella nodded her head.

"Well believe it or not, that's what we're doing here today." Brooklynn said sarcastically. "Now please help us out with that and take your top off."

That's it.

"She's not taking her top off." I said sternly. Brooklynn turned in my direction. I stood off to the side with my arms crossed and stared directly into Brooklynn's eyes.

"Excuse me?" Brooklynn asked, looking at me with disgust.

"I think you heard me. She's keeping the top on. So if you're on such an important time schedule, you better get started in what she's wearing right now." I said.

"I'm sorry," Brooklynn started with a bitchy attitude. She took a few steps toward me. "Last time I checked, you aren't her publicist. You're just her bodyguard."

"Yes, and it's my job to protect her, or remove her from a hazardous environment. And I'm about 5 seconds away from removing her. So you can either get your shot or turn in a half-finished job to your Editor in Chief."

Brooklynn glared at me, furious. She turned on her heel and marched back to the photographer. I glanced up at Bella. She mouthed the words 'thank you' to me and I nodded my head at her. They finished the shoot with plenty of sexy poses and Bella went back to the dressing room to change back into her street clothes.

We climbed into a cab. I wrapped an arm around Bella and leaned over, kissing her on the forehead. She looked up at me and sighed.

"I'm nervous about how those photos are going to turn out." She said.

"I know you are baby. It will be OK." I said, squeezing her to me.

We arrived back at the apartment around 1:00 PM. Emmett was on his cell phone, he looked up at us and smiled when we walked in.

"...cool, yeah, sounds good, see you later, bye. Guys!" He yelled. "I'm having a little get-together tonight, hope you don't mind."

"What kind of get-together?" I asked, raising one eyebrow.

"Just havin' a few people over for a few drinks, you guys cool with that?"

I looked at Bella and she shrugged her shoulders.

"Hey, it's your guys' apartment." She said.

I chuckled, "I don't mind Emmett." I walked over to the couch and sat down. Bella made her way over to the chair on the opposite side of the room and took a seat. Emmett stood there and looked back and forth at us.

Then he said, "Bells, quit playing games and go sit with your man!"

Bella's mouth dropped open. "Wh...what?"

I suddenly realized that I hadn't told Bella that Emmett knew about us yet. Clearly she had slept in our apartment last night, but Emmett knew she had been distraught over her apartment. She probably assumed that Emmett thought we were just doing her a favor by letting her stay overnight.

Emmett walked up to her and took her hand. He pulled her out of the chair and led her over to me. He gently pushed her shoulders down so she was sitting directly beside me. Then, he proceeded to pick up my hand and her hand, and placed them together. I entwined my fingers with Bella's and looked at her face.

Priceless. Her eyes were wide and her forehead was wrinkled up and extremely cute. Her mouth was still open and she stared up at Emmett.

I couldn't hold my smile back. I leaned in and kissed her on the lips. "He's not saying anything baby, don't worry."

"Secret's safe with me Bells!" Emmett said with a huge smile.

Later in the day, Emmett, Bella and I all went to the store and came back with a variety of party foods, alcohol, and stacks of plastic cups.

Emmett assigned me bartender for the night since I told him I wasn't drinking. We set up the alcohol on the breakfast bar and Bella filled bowls with chips, dips, and party-mix. We put some music on and people started to arrive around 10:00 PM.

Emmett had invited a group of guys and a couple of girls he had met down at the apartment's gym. Jasper showed up and Alice walked in a few minutes later with two girls I had never seen before.

Jasper took a seat at one of the bar stools and I started to mix him a drink.

"Looks like we're just missing Rose and Jacob." I said, looking around at the crowd gathered in the living room and kitchen.

"Rose isn't coming. She says she has a lot of work to catch up on. And I'm not sure if Jacob will show up. Dude's been PMSing or something the past two days." Jasper said. I laughed and handed him the drink. "I meant to thank you and Emmett for sticking me with him." He said sarcastically, taking the drink with a grin.

"Hey, sorry 'bout that man. What's his deal anyway?" I asked.

"I don't know. He barely comes out of his room, and when he does, he sulks around the apartment like somebody killed his puppy."

Bella walked up to the bar and plopped onto a stool next to her brother.

"One Diet Coke please bartender." She said to me with a smile. I grinned and filled a glass with ice.

"Not drinking tonight Bells?" Jasper asked.

"Nope, not tonight. What about you Jaz? You have the day off tomorrow, you gonna get trashed?" She said, elbowing her brother with a grin.

"I don't know, we'll see."

Bella smiled and locked eyes with me as I handed her her soda. Then she headed across the room and started up a conversation with one of the girls Emmett had invited.

The girl towered over Bella in her platform heels and I couldn't help but smile at my effortlessly beautiful girlfriend. Bella wore a simple white tank top, tiny denim shorts, and her flat Converse sneakers. Her make-up was soft and her hair was down. She looked 10 times prettier than any of these girls here in their heavy make-up, short skirts and tall heels. Absolutely effortless.

Around midnight, the door opened and Jacob walked in...with a girl on each arm. I had never seen them before. They were both blond. They couldn't have been much older than 21 or 22. One wore a short, tight white strapless minidress and bright red heels. The other wore a lacy black skirt that barely covered her bottom and a top that looked like lingerie. The only way to describe her shoes...stripper heels.

He walked across the room with the girls and struck up a conversation with one of Emmett's friends. Bella had noticed them arrive and glanced at me, raising her eyebrows. A moment later Jacob excused himself from the girls and walked up to the bar.

"What's up Edward?" He said, his face serious. "Playing bartender tonight?" I nodded. He asked for a couple of drinks and a shot for himself. I started to pour them. I noticed he was slurring his words. Clearly he had been drinking before he even got here.

"So who are your guests?" I asked, nodding at the girls.

"Those two pieces of work are Emma and...shit, what the fuck is her name?" He paused, bringing his fingers to his forehead, thinking, "...Sophia. I met them on the Kanye tour and still had their numbers in my phone." He leaned up against the bar. "They told me to call them up whenever I'm in L.A. And what the fuck do you know...I'm here in L.A." He said sarcastically, never even cracking a smile.

He downed the shot and turned to walk back to the girls. What was his problem?

As the night progressed, I watched a very interesting scene unfold in front of me. At first, Jacob was all over his two girls. He kept them attached to his side, only leaving them to go get more and more drinks for the three of them. He'd sit down on the couch and invite one of them to sit on his lap, while wrapping his arm around the other one's shoulders.

Bella continued to mingle with everyone. At one point, she walked past Jacob and gave him a wave and even gave each of the girls a smile and a nod.

Then, Jacob seemed to do a complete 180. He suddenly wanted nothing to do with his two pieces of arm-candy. He left them off on the other side of the room and started to walk around talking obnoxiously to everyone there. If one of the girls approached him, he'd shrug them off and walk the other direction. He made several trips to the bar, eventually coming around the other side of the counter and pouring his own drinks. I swear he was making them stronger and stronger each time.

It was getting pretty late and several guests started to leave. Alice left around 2:00 AM and Jasper followed shortly after. Jacob's two girls got sick of his games and they left too with scowls on their faces. I saw Bella yawn and hoped the remaining guests would leave soon so my girl could get some sleep. Bella walked over to the couch and sat down. I stood behind the bar and watched as Jacob approached her.

Approached wouldn't be the correct choice of word, stumbled would be more appropriate. He was completely wasted. He sat down next to Bella and I could hear them from 10 feet away.

"Listen Bella," he started, so slurred, you could hardly understand him, "you and me...we're...you know...you get me right?"

Bella was looking at him, a slight frown on her face. "Jacob, you're drunk, I think you're talking nonsense. Maybe you should go back to your apartment and get some rest."

"Or..." Jacob said, holding a finger up in the air, "you could come back to my apartment with me." He said, raising his eyebrows and giving her a suggestive grin. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. My heart started to race.

Bella was frowning deeply now. "Why would I do that Jacob?" She asked.

Jacob started to laugh. It was a soft, menacing laughter. He lowered his voice and I leaned forward to hear. "C'mon Bella, what do you say we have a little repeat of that one night back in New Orleans...but with just the two of us this time."

Son of a_ fucking_ bitch. How _dare_ he disrespect Bella like that? How _dare_ he? My teeth were clenched and I gripped the front of the counter with both hands. I was starting to shake in fury.

"Absolutely not Jacob, are you crazy? I don't feel that way about you. We're just friends, nothing else OK?" Bella said, looking directly at him.

"We sure acted like more than friends that night." Jacob said, sliding his hand over Bella's knee and halfway up her thigh.

"Jacob, please take your hand off of me." Said Bella. He didn't move it. In fact, from where I stood, it looked like he tightened his grip. I'll give you three seconds fucker.

1...

"Jacob, I'm serious, you're hurting me."

2...

Bella brought her hands over his and tried to push him off, wincing. "Jacob, _ow!_"

3...

I was instantly over that counter and on top of Jacob, my fists closed and braced for impact.

**Chapter end notes: Uh-oh! How's Jacob going to get out of this one? Reviews mean the world to me! **

**Link to chapter 12 on my Twitter page Lindsay520.**


	12. Chapter 12

Guarding Isabella

_Disclaimer:__All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

AH: All Human

_Rated: M  
><em>

Summary: Edward and Jacob are hired as professional bodyguards for the "2011 Isabella US Tour." What will happen when 'professional' suddenly turns 'personal' and feelings start to develop between the soft-spoken superstar and her new bodyguards?

***Check out my photo banner for GI, made by SoapyMayhem. Copy and paste ****http:/i1218 . photobucket . com/albums/dd404/Lindsay520/1guardingisbl2 . png**** (remove spaces) or visit my profile for a direct link. **

**Chapter notes**_**:**_** So get this...my first story The Feeder had 23 chapters and 450+ reviews. Guarding Isabella has **_**half**_** the amount of chapters so far and is fast approaching the 450 review mark already! I can't believe it. Thank you for all your lovely reviews! They inspire me! Now for chapter 12. For anyone who missed it, Jasper and Alice both left the party around 2:00. They are not here to witness what is about to happen. Now...let the fight begin!**

**Chapter song(s):  
><strong>**10 Years "Wasteland"  
><strong>**Jet "Look What You've Done"  
><strong>**Dashboard Confessional "Vindicated"**

I grabbed Jacob by the shirt collar, yanked him off the couch, and pulled him directly up against me, chest to chest.

"_Don't you fucking touch her_!" I screamed in his face. Then I swung him around and slammed him onto the floor in the middle of the living room. He quickly got up and came at me. I swung and hit him across the jaw. He stumbled to the side and lost his balance, falling and crashing right through the glass coffee table.

It didn't faze him, he started to get back up, and yelled, _"Fuck you man! Stay the fuck out of it! It's between me and Bella!"_ He yelled, charging at me. He ducked down low and slammed into my midsection. I stumbled back and we fell to the floor. We started to roll.

_"There's no you and Bella! You put your hands on my girl you piece of shit_!" I screamed, bringing my fist back again. He tried to block me but I was too fast and I hit him across the face. We rolled again and he was on top of me trying to pin me down. In his drunken state, I was easily kicking and shoving out of his grip.

_"Your girl? Your girl? How the fuck is she your girl asshole?" _He yelled.

That's when I realized Emmett was pulling Jacob backward and one of Emmett's friends was pulling me backward. Emmett had Jacob's arms locked back in the position we are trained to restrain attackers. The guy who had me didn't know what he was doing and I easily broke out of his grip, but I stayed where I was.

"Exactly how it sounds Jacob, my girl! Bella is my girl! She's with me! We're together!" I shouted back at him

The room got very quiet. Jacob stopped struggling in Emmett's grip and just stared at me.

"You're...together? She's...you're...wh...what the fuck man? You _knew_ I had feelings for her! This is _bullshit_!"

That's when we both realized who we were fighting over and we both started to frantically scan the room for Bella. Where was she?

"Bella!" I shouted, "Where did she go?" I asked a cluster of party guests standing off in a corner. One of the girls pointed down the hallway and I took off running toward our bedroom.

I heard Jacob screaming in the background, trying to shout down the hallway, "Bella! Bella, I'm sorry! _Let go of me Emmett! I need to talk to her!_ Please Bella! I'm sorry I hurt you! I didn't mean it! Please!" I heard his yells quiet down to muffles and I knew Emmett had taken him out of the apartment.

I burst through the door to our bedroom and a familiar scene lay before me.

Bella, sitting on the floor in the darkness with her back leaned up against the bed, her knees drawn up to her chest and her arms wrapped around her legs. Her shoulders were shaking as she cried.

I ran over to her, "Bella..."

She looked up. "_See_, somebody always gets hurt!" She sobbed. "This is what I do to people Edward! Can't you see that! You'd be better off without me! Something terrible will happen to you too, it's only a matter of time! I can't bear to have anything bad happen to you Edward. I love you too much! I can't let it happen!"

I pulled her to me, lifting her up off the floor. She clung to me.

_"Shh baby, it's going to be OK_." I whispered to her. I sat us down on the bed and held her on my lap, hugging her tightly. I held the back of her head and pressed her face into my neck. I felt her tears rolling down my skin. "I'm not going anywhere Bella. I love you. Nothing is going to change that."

She pulled her face back to look at me. "But don't you see what I do to people?"

_"Bella,"_ I whispered, looking into her deep brown eyes, _"you don't do this to people. It's not your fault. None of it is your fault."_

She just looked at me, the tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Bella, listen to me. I will be here with you, no matter what. I will handle anything that life hands me if it means I can be with you. Anything. And if anything bad ever does happen, it is not because of you. You do not cause it. Just like I told you before, life happens in ways we don't expect it to. Good and bad. The bad is not your fault. _It's not your fault Bella._ And no matter what, I'm not going anywhere. As long as I have you, Bella, I'm not going anywhere."

I used my thumbs to wipe her tears away. She looked up at me, her shoulders still shaking slightly as her crying started to subside.

I leaned my forehead against hers and closed my eyes. _"Do you understand me Bella? It's not your fault."_ I whispered to her. _"Tell me you understand. Say it. Say, 'it's not my fault'."_

I felt her take a deep breath, then, very softly, she said, _"It's...not my fault."_

I sat there on the bed with Bella curled up in my lap for what seemed like close to a half hour. After a while, I heard a soft knock on the bedroom door. Bella and I both lifted our faces and turned to the open doorway. Emmett stood there, hands in pockets.

"Hi guys. Edward, can I talk to you for a minute?" He said.

"Why can't you talk to me too?" Bella asked, wanting to be included.

I looked at Emmett. He shrugged his shoulders and walked through the doorway.

Bella shifted off of my lap and sat beside me. I reached forward to the lamp on the nightstand and clicked it on. The first thing I noticed as the room lit up was the large, red handprint on Bella's thigh. It was starting to bruise, the edges turning bluish in color.

_"Son of a bitch."_ I said under my breath, pinching the bridge of my nose. I lowered my hand and gently touched the side of Bella's thigh. "Does it hurt sweetie?"

Bella sighed. "It's fine." She said shaking her head. "What did you want to talk about Emmett?" She asked, looking up at him.

"Alright, listen guys. Jacob was pretty fucked up and pissed off. He was threatening to tell Jasper about you guys."

"What?" I asked, alarmed.

"Just hold on." Emmett said, raising his hand to stop me. "I talked some sense into him. I told him that if he said anything about you two, that Bella would tell Jasper that he had hurt her leg. You know Jasper won't tolerate anyone hurting you Bells, especially someone who is supposed to be _protecting _you."

Bella closed her eyes.

"Now what the hell are we supposed to do about Jacob?" I asked, leaning forward, my elbows on the tops of my legs. I clasped my hands together and hung my head. "If we report what he did to Jasper, he'd get fired. But if we report him, he'd tell Jasper about Bella and me, and I'd get fired..."

"Just hold on a second." Bella said, irritation in her voice. She stood up and looked at both Emmett and I. "Nobody's getting fired without _my_ say."

We both stared at her, wide-eyed. She continued, "Nobody here would even _have_ a job without me, including Jasper. If Jasper wants to fire somebody and I say no, then I say no."

Shit, she was right.

"I think I need to talk to Jacob." She said.

"What? No, absolutely not! He can't be trusted Bella! Look what he did to you!" I said, pointing at her leg.

"I'll wait until he sobers up, then we'll straighten things out." She said calmly.

"Straighten things out? Bella, you don't actually plan on letting him stay as your guard do you? What if he does this to you again? I'd fucking kill him if he hurt you again!" I was standing up now, pacing, my hands in my hair.

"Hey, take it easy man." Emmett said, putting his hands on my shoulders, stopping me in my place. I turned to Bella, she was sitting on the edge of the bed, her lip quivering.

I went to her, dropping down to my knees in front of her. I grabbed her hands. "Bella," I said, softening my voice, "don't be upset. Talk to me baby."

She took a shaky breath. "I don't think he...meant to hurt me." She said quietly. "Jacob wouldn't do something like. Not on purpose. He was...drunk Edward."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Emmett walking toward the bedroom door. He quietly slipped out, leaving us to talk.

I sighed. Bella could sense my worry. "Edward, I just want to hear him out. You don't know Jacob like I do. He's always been there for me as a friend. I want to hear what he has to say. I think he at least deserves that."

"Bella, if he hurts you..."

"He won't."

"How do you know? He could lose his mind, flip out, and take it out on you!"

I thought I saw Bella shudder. I pictured her going through this same exact scenario with Michael.

"Edward, I think...it will be OK. Tomorrow, when he's sober, I just want to talk to him."

"I'm coming with you." I blurted out.

Bella blinked. After a pause, she said, "If it makes you feel better Edward, OK."

It was settled then. Tomorrow, the two of us would confront Jacob.

A few minutes later, we were ready to go to sleep. Bella went to the bathroom and I stripped down to my boxers and climbed into bed. Bella walked back in, closing the door softly behind her. She climbed into bed in her t-shirt and underwear, laying on her stomach and turning her face in my direction.

I looked at her, my eyes full of love. We were quiet. I reached out, under the blanket and found her lower back. I slipped my hand under her t-shirt and started to lightly rub up and down her back. She sighed and closed her eyes. After a minute, Bella reached over her head and grabbed a handful of her t-shirt. She pulled it over her head, taking it off and tossing it aside.

I shifted forward and kissed her bare shoulder, my fingers still trailing over her smooth, warm back. I continued until she fell asleep.

The next morning, I woke up before Bella and slipped out to shower while she slept. When I was finished, I wrapped a towel around my waist and opened the bathroom door. I heard noises coming from the kitchen and smelled burnt food. I walked around the corner and saw Emmett standing in front of the stove in his boxers, frantically scraping a pan.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Shit, you weren't supposed to see this. I was trying to cook you and Bella breakfast. Sort of an 'I'm sorry for throwing a party and causing a ruckus' kind of thing. Who am I kidding, I can't cook!" He said, turning the burner off and tossing the spatula into the sink.

Just then, Bella came shuffling around the corner. She had put on a pair of gray sweats and one of my big t-shirts. Her hair was tangled and she was rubbing her eyes.

"Good morning sunshine!" Boomed Emmett with a huge smile.

Bella glared at him and groaned.

"Ooh, I know that look." Said Emmett pointing at Bella. "Aunt Flow's in town."

Bella groaned again, "Thanks for announcing it to the world Emmett." She walked over to the couch and flopped down on her back.

I looked at Emmett, my mouth open. "Dude. You really are freaking psychic!" I said, amazed at his superior sixth sense.

"Not really. I've just been touring with her for the past 4 years, I've learned when her cycle is."

Either way, I had to admit, the guy had a talent.

I went back to the bedroom and put some clothes on and Bella went to take a shower. I came back out into the kitchen and took over the cooking. I whipped up some eggs and toast for the three of us. We sat in the living room and ate. I noticed immediately that Emmett had cleaned up the broken coffee table. There was now a big empty space where the table used to be.

Emmett texted Jasper after breakfast and invited him to go to the gym later that afternoon. This gave Bella and me an opportunity to meet with Jacob alone in their apartment. Until then, the three of us sat around our apartment and relaxed. I got some ice for Bella's bruised leg.

We decided to watch a movie. Bella wanted to watch a mushy, romantic chick-flick. Emmett and I started to protest. But then she used the period-card against us and we gave in immediately. She spent the afternoon curled up beside me on the couch and I never wanted to leave her side. I freaking adored this girl.

After the movie, Emmett left to meet Jasper at the gym. I stood up and took Bella's hands.

"Are you ready to do this sweetie?" I asked her. She nodded and minutes later, we were in the elevator, going down to the second floor, heading to Jasper and Jacob's apartment.

We stood in front of the door. Bella raised her hand and knocked.

"Who is it?" Jacob grumbled from inside.

"It's Bella." She said. We heard quick movement and running footsteps. The door swung open.

"And Edward." I said as he saw me standing beside her, hands in my pockets. Jacob's jaw and cheek were bruised and slightly swollen from our fight.

_"Shit."_ He said under his breath. "Can I just talk to her alone for a few minutes?" He asked.

"Not gonna happen. Did you see what you did to her leg asshole?"

"Edward, please." Said Bella.

"Bella," Jacob started, softly, "I am so so sorry about your leg. Is it bad?"

She had changed into loose fitting lounge pants earlier. She pulled the pant leg up and revealed a deep blue hand-print impression bruise on the front of her thigh. I crossed my arms in front of my chest and glared at Jacob.

_"Oh my God."_ He said, closing his eyes and running his hand down his face. "_Oh my God. I can't believe I fucking did that. Oh my God." _He muttered to himself shaking his head.

"Jacob, can we come in for a minute?" Bella asked.

He nodded and stepped aside, his eyes still closed and hand still on his face, covering his mouth.

"Here, sit down Bella." He said, clearing a spot on the couch. She sat and he sat right next to her. He grabbed her hand and I tensed up.

"Bella, I can't even tell you how sorry I am for hurting you like that. I didn't even realize I was applying that much force."

"Dude, she's only 100 pounds, what do you expect?" I snapped. Bella looked at me. I shut my mouth. Jacob ignored me and kept talking.

"Bella, I was drunk and stupid and I'm sorry for the shit I said to you. I never meant to disrespect you in any way and I fucking hate myself for touching you like that. _I fucking hate myself!"_ He shouted, squeezing his eyes and fists closed.

I nodded my head in silence. Yeah, you should dickhead.

_"Please,"_ he whispered, "I'll do anything to make it up to you Bella. Anything. I care about you_ so much." _He brought his hand to Bella's cheek but she flinched away. Jacob dropped his hand and closed his eyes again.

"Bella..." Jacob started, his voice full of defeat, "...am I still...am I still your guard?"

Bella swallowed. "Jacob...if you're going to stay employed as my guard, then I need to be able to trust you to _protect_ me from harm, not _cause_ it. You know, Jake, I thought I was in a safe place yesterday at the party. I didn't think I needed a guard on duty...but apparently I did. It's a good thing Edward was there because he protected me...from you."

Jacob leaned forward and buried his face in his hands. This was no act. I could tell. He was deeply, deeply ashamed of himself.

After a long silence, he lifted his face. But instead of turning back to Bella, he looked up at me.

Softly he said, "Thank you Edward." His tone was genuine.

Huh? My mouth may have dropped open a bit. He went on,

"I'm glad you were there to stop me. I wish you would have beaten me worse than you did. I fucking deserved it."

Then he turned back to Bella. "You're with the right guy Bella. As much as it kills me because I really do care about you...you're with the right guy."

"I may have blown my chances to be with you Bella, but please tell me I haven't blown my job too."

He shifted off the couch and knelt down on the floor in front of Bella. He took both her hands in his. "You mean so much to me Bella and I want to prove to you that I can be the best possible guard to you. Please Bella, I love this job. I love being there for you, to protect you. I love that I can spend time with you. Please let me prove myself to you Bella. I'm on my knees...begging you."

I just stood there and watched the exchange happening before me.

Bella's eyes darted back and forth between Jacob's.

"Jacob, we need to get some things clear...and I mean crystal clear." Said Bella, pulling Jacob's hands upward, he allowed her to lead him back to the spot on the couch beside her.

"Jacob, you have been such an amazing friend to me. Seriously, you were the first person to make me laugh in...probably years. But I need you to know that we can only be friends. I want you as my guard. I want you in my life. I love you Jake. Just as I love Emmett and Alice and Rose. As a friend. You're one of my best friends. If you want to stay as one of my guards, I need to know that I can trust you as a friend."

"You can." Said Jacob. Bella held up her hand.

"But Jake, you've jeopardized that trust twice now." He stared at her, then averted his eyes nodding his head solemnly.

"Last night was one thing, but...back in New Orleans...Jake, you were in no position to carry on like that."

_"I know. I know I wasn't."_ He said, almost too quiet to hear. He went back to burying his face in his hands.

Bella kept talking, "I agreed to go out with everybody that night with the intention of having a few drinks and trusting that my personal guard would get me back up to my room safely. You were sober. Edward and I were out-of-our-minds drunk. You should have stopped things Jacob, not encouraged them. I needed you to stop things Jake, I needed you to take control of the situation and turn it around." Her voice cracked on the last word and she was becoming emotional. "I wish...I just wish you would have tucked me into bed and taken Edward back to crash on your couch."

Jacob had his hands covering his eyes and was shaking his head in silence.

Bella took a deep breath and continued, "Regardless, it happened...but it didn't change anything with our friendship. I want you to understand that. You _have_ to understand that Jake, because I want to give you one more chance. Our friendship means so much to me. But if anything else happens, that's three strikes...and you're out. So please don't mess up a third time Jake. I want you as my guard."

Bella scooted forward and wrapped her arms around his huge neck. He immediately swung his arms around her and pulled her tight against his chest.

_"I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry Bella. I promise...I swear to God I won't mess up again_." He whispered to her as they hugged. _"You can trust me Bella, I promise you, you can trust me. I will prove it to you. I'll do everything I can to prove it to you."_

I sighed. They pulled out of their hug and Jacob stood up. He extended his hand toward me. I took it and what he said next surprised me more than anything he's said or done so far.

"Edward, if I can't be with her, then I'm glad you can. Seriously man, if anyone can take care of her like she deserves, it's you."

Wow. We shook hands firmly and I saw Bella wipe her eyes.

"Now comes the tough part." Said Jacob. "How the hell are you guys gonna break the news to Jasper?"

Bella stood up. "We haven't quite figured that out yet."

Bella and I started to walk toward the door to leave.

"Well good luck." He said. "Bellie, I'll see you tomorrow for the radio appearance."

She smiled and nodded. Just as we were stepping out the door, Jacob called out.

"Hey Edward?"

I turned to look at him. He had a funny look on his face, like he had just eaten something sour.

"Last weekend on the bus...that wasn't porn you were watching was it?"

I saw Bella cover her mouth from the corner of my eye.

I rolled my eyes. "Catch you later Jacob." I said, avoiding the question.

He slapped himself in the forehead and fell back onto the couch as we closed the door behind us.

**Chapter end notes: See now, Jacob's not so bad! I never intended for him to be the villain per se. He sure stirred up some upsetting drama though.**

**Link to Chapter 13 Teaser on my Twitter page Lindsay520**


	13. Chapter 13

Guarding Isabella

_Disclaimer:__All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

AH: All Human

_Rated: M  
><em>

Summary: Edward and Jacob are hired as professional bodyguards for the "2011 Isabella US Tour." What will happen when 'professional' suddenly turns 'personal' and feelings start to develop between the soft-spoken superstar and her new bodyguards?

***Check out my photo banner for GI, made by SoapyMayhem. Copy and paste ****http:/i1218 . photobucket . com/albums/dd404/Lindsay520/1guardingisbl2 . png**** (remove spaces) or visit my profile for a direct link. **

**Chapter notes: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far. I am thrilled with the success GI has had so far. I love my readers!**

**Chapter song(s):  
><strong>**Secondhand Serenade "Awake"  
><strong>**Framing Hanley "Lillipop"**

Bella and I stepped onto the elevator to go back up to our apartment. As soon as the doors closed, I pulled her to me. She pressed her cheek to my chest and sighed.

"I'm so relieved Edward." She said, pressing her hands into my back.

"I know sweetie, so am I." I murmured, rubbing her back. The doors opened and we started to walk down the hall hand-in-hand. My phone chimed and I pulled it out of my pocket. It was a new text from Emmett.

_Jasper and I going down to Panera for lunch, wanna meet up?_

"Emmett wants to know if we want to meet him and Jasper for lunch. Feel like going?" I asked her.

"Well, normally I would, but I kind of want to lie down. I wish I could get rid of these cramps." She said, wrinkling her nose. "You should go though."

"No, I'll lie down with you." I said.

She looked up at me and smiled. "I love you Edward."

"I love you too." I said back, pulling her to me by the hand and kissing her lips.

We walked into the apartment and Bella kicked off her shoes and lay down on the couch. I ordered us some Chinese food to be delivered for lunch and heated up a cup of tea for Bella. Our food arrived and we sat and ate our lunch in the living room.

I cleaned up our lunch and walked back into the living room. Nothing was on TV, so Bella clicked on some music with the remote. She found a song she liked and adjusted the volume so it was playing very softly in the background. I recognized the song as _"Awake"_ by Secondhand Serenade. I looked at Bella. Her brow was wrinkled and she was rubbing her hand over her middle.

"Does it hurt?" I asked.

She sighed. "Yeah, and my leg hurts too." She said quietly. I walked to the bathroom and grabbed some ibuprofen. She took it and I took her hands.

"Stand up for a second." She did, and I lay down on the couch, but propped my back up against the armrest. "Come lay down right here, on your back." I said, taking her hand and carefully helping her lie down between my legs, along the front of my body. She laid her head on my chest.

I brought my hands down to her waist and slowly pulled her shirt up a little, exposing her stomach. Then I slipped my pointer fingers under the waistband of her lounge pants and pushed them down about an inch. Then, very lightly, I started to rub along her lower stomach. I trailed my fingers back and forth, back and forth, and Bella let out a deep sigh.

_"Oh Edward. That feels amazing."_ She breathed, settling down into me as she started to relax.

_"Good."_ I whispered. _"Hopefully it'll help and they'll go away."_

I continued until I heard her breathing become steady and I knew she had fallen asleep. I kissed the top of her head and eventually dozed off myself.

We woke up a couple of hours later when we heard Emmett unlocking the door and walking inside.

"Hey guys." He said.

"Hey Emmett, how was your lunch?" Bella asked, sitting up and stretching. I yawned and ran my fingers through my hair.

"Good. Get this," he started, dropping his gym bag near the hall and coming into the living room, "Jasper said Rose wants to hire another staff member to tour with us. A publicist. Rose says it's too much work to act as manager _and_ publicist. She needs some help."

"Wow, really?" Said Bella, raising her eyebrows.

"Yeah," Said Emmett, "so it looks like we'll be getting a little more crowded on our bus."

"What do you mean _our_ bus?" I asked.

"Our bus is the only one with room. We have 6 bunks and only 4 are occupied. Rose's bus is packed full and so is the band's bus."

"Oh yeah, I guess you're right." I said.

"Hopefully she hires a girl." Said Bella standing up. "There's already too much testosterone on that bus." She said with a chuckle.

She started to walk away but I grabbed her and pulled her back down onto my lap, kissing her all over her face as she giggled.

The next morning, the radio alarm clock went off at 6:30. I heard Ryan Seacrest's voice reciting a pre-recorded commercial:

_"...and don't forget to tune in at 8:00 AM Thursday morning. Our special in-studio guest is three time grammy award winner, Isabella. She will be debuting her newest single. Hear it here first at On-Air with Ryan Seacrest."_

I reached over Bella and turned it off. She rolled onto her side, facing me, her eyes half-open.

"Happy release day sleepy face." I murmured, running the back of my hand down her cheek. She grinned.

While Bella was in the shower, I got dressed and made a pot of coffee.

Bella came walking out in a pair of black skinny jeans, a gray t-shirt knotted at the bottom, and a pair of red Converse sneakers. Bella planned to meet Jacob downstairs in about 20 minutes. We had just sat down at the breakfast bar with our coffee when there was a knock at the door.

"Who is it?" I called out.

"Jacob."

Bella and I looked at each other, confused.

I opened the door. He stood there, holding up a white paper bag. "I brought muffins. Did you guys eat yet?"

"Not yet, thanks." I said stepping aside.

"Jake," Bella said, turning around on her stool, "how did you know I'd be here?" For all anybody else knew, Bella was still staying in her apartment on the top floor.

Jacob narrowed his eyes at her in a teasing glare. "Lucky guess."

He handed Bella a muffin and then tossed one to me. I took a seat on the stool beside Bella. He poured himself a cup of coffee and stood in the kitchen eating a muffin.

"Say Edward, how would'ya feel about me treating Bella to lunch after the debut? You know, to celebrate the new single release?"

I paused mid-sip of coffee. Wow. He was _asking_ for my permission? I...couldn't believe it. Although I wasn't crazy about him taking her out, it gave me some extra time to prepare my surprise for Bella. I was planning on picking out a very specific gift for her.

Now that we had a clear understanding with Jacob, I was feeling much better about having him around. I knew he would take care of her.

"That's fine. As long as Bella is feeling up for it." I said. I leaned over to her, _"How are you feeling today?"_ I whispered, hoping the cramps were gone.

"Much better than yesterday." She said quietly with a nod.

Bella and Jacob left and I took a shower and cleaned up around the apartment, waiting for the radio show to begin.

_"Welcome back. We've got quite a treat for you all. My very special guest just walked through the door. It's none other than three time grammy award winner Isabella!"_

The people in the studio applauded and I heard Bella greet the listeners.

_"Good morning! I'm so happy to be here today Ryan. Thank you for having me."_

_"It's a pleasure to have you Isabella, as always. Now, who's this guy standing in back here? I'm waiting for him to bump his head on the ceiling he's so tall. It's a lawsuit waiting to happen."_ Ryan said, joking around.

Bella chuckled, _"That big 'ole caveman is Jacob, one of my bodyguards. But you can call him Eegah._" The studio laughed and Ryan said,

_"Alright caveman Eegah, watch your head on the way out, these doorways_ _are built for us average-sized people." _Ryan said.

They chatted and joked for a few more minutes and went to commercial break.

Emmett came walking into the living room in his boxers. "Did I miss it?"

"No, she's still on. They're playing the song after this commercial." I said. He plopped down on the chair.

_"Welcome back to On-Air with Ryan Seacrest. If you're just joining us we've got soul, blues, jazz singer Isabella in the studio and we're about to debut her newest single. Now Isabella, you're currently on tour right now, is that right?"_

_"That's right Ryan. The 2011 Isabella tour is under way. We're on a little break right now promoting the single but we'll be back on the road as of February 24 picking up in Salt Lake City."_

_"Here that folks of Salt Lake City? If the show isn't sold out already, get your tickets now. After this single is debuted, I'm sure you'll have the pleasure of hearing it live at the show. Am I right Isabella?"_

_"You are absolutely right. I will be singing this song at my shows, so come see me everyone!"_

_"Now Isabella, a little birdie told me you'll be making an appearance at this weekend's Lakers game?"_ Ryan said.

_"Yes I am. I am honored to be singing the National Anthem and I couldn't be more thrilled."_

_"Well we're thrilled to hear you and good luck. Now, I've kept everyone waiting long enough. Let's get this underway! Isabella, will you introduce the new single?"_

_"It would be my pleasure."_ She said. She announced the title and thanked her fans for their support. Then the song played.

Emmett and I sat smiling in the living room. When it ended, Emmett got up and walked toward the kitchen. He slapped my shoulder as he passed me.

"You've got yourself quite the talented little girlfriend my friend."

"I know." I said, my cheeks beginning to hurt from smiling.

A few minutes later, I headed out to go pick up my gift for Bella.

I got back a few hours later. Just as I was walking through the gates to the apartment, my phone chimed. It was a text from Bella.

_"Where is my sweet boyfriend?"_

_"On my way up now!" _I texted her back. I had a long, rectangular box wrapped in shiny silver paper burning a hole in my pocket.

I walked through the doors. Bella was standing right there, smiling.

"Hi beautiful girl." I said to her with a huge smile. "Where's Emmett?" I asked looking around.

"Not here." She said, wrapping her arms around my neck. I lifted her feet off the ground.

"Did you listen?" She asked.

"Of course. You were amazing. I loved it." I set her back down and found her lips. We kissed lightly at first, then slower and deeper. I pulled her tight against my chest, feeling her breasts press into me. I met her tongue and she let out a soft moan that went straight to my cock.

_"Oh God Bella. Look what you do to me."_ I murmured, shifting my hips forward and pressing the bulge in my jeans against her stomach."

_"Mmmm, it should only be one more day baby. I'll make it worth the wait, I promise."_ She said, biting down into my bottom lip. Oh _shit._

_"You're a tease, you know that?"_ I said, touching my tongue to hers again.

_"How 'bout if I stop the teasing and give you a little preview of what's in store?"_ She said, raking her hands down my back and sliding them around to the front of my waist. She popped open the button on my jeans. She stared into my eyes as she pulled the zipper down. Oh my God.

She pushed them down my hips and they fell around my ankles. My boxers stood out in front of me. She started to rub my dick up and down over my shorts.

_"Jesus Bella."_ I moaned out, bringing my hands up to grasp her shoulders. I felt her curl her fingers under the waistband of my boxers. She started to pull them down and lowered herself down to her knees. I closed my eyes. Then I felt the heat of her tongue. She started at the base and slowly licked up the length. I had to hold back a shudder. _"Fuck." _I breathed. I felt her wrap her lips around the tip and expected her to take me in her mouth, but instead, she lowered back down and licked up the entire length of it again. I tilted my head back. It felt fucking amazing.

Soon, she held onto it with one hand and tilted her head to the side. She pressed her tongue and lips up against it and started to run her mouth up and down the length.

_"God that feels...incredible Bella." _I murmured, running my hand over her head. Then she brought her mouth to the top and paused. As she held me, she brought her tongue out and circled the tip. I tensed up and let out a hiss. Oh yes. She breathed on me. She was fucking teasing me. I just wanted to push into that mouth of hers. I wanted her to take me in as deep as she could. I slowly looked down at her. Her eyes were fixed on mine. Oh, that look on her face, so fucking sexy.

_"Do you want more Edward?"_ She asked me...oh _God _that voice.

_"Fuck yes." _I blurted out, throwing my head back again. What a tease. She circled the tip again. I groaned out.

_"That's not a very nice way to say it baby. You should say 'please'."_ She said, touching her lips to the tip again. Oh my God, she was _playing_ with me. She was fucking_ playing_ with me and I've never been more turned on.

_"Now...do you want more Edward?"_ She said again, slowly.

_"Yes...yes please." _I said, trying hard to regain my composure so I wouldn't come during the first 2 seconds I was in her mouth. She gripped the base with her hand and took me into her mouth completely. _"Oh shit!" _I moaned out, lurching forward slightly as the wetness and heat surrounded me. She started to slide her mouth up and down, her head bobbing in front of me.

After a few minutes, she started to slide her hand with her mouth and the friction was driving me closer and closer to the edge. She slid her other hand up between my thighs and her fingers grazed my balls.

_"Oh God, oh God!" _I said, my knees starting to shake. She continued stroking me while sucking, taking me in as far as possible. She trailed her fingertips along the bottom of my balls and I was done.

_"I'm...I'm coming!"_ I managed to get out in between gasps, not sure if she wanted me to finish in her mouth. She stayed fixed on my cock and I let myself go. My hips trembled as I came. Her lips tightened up around me and she grabbed my ass as I released everything into her, keeping me deep inside her mouth.

_"Oh God yes!"_ I moaned out as the pleasure heightened to its absolute peak. I was pulsing hard as I rode my orgasm out. Fuck, fuck, fuck me. I felt her throat constricting as she swallowed. God her mouth was like heaven. Beyond incredible. I was breathing hard and finally opened my eyes. I was seeing fucking stars. I looked down and saw her sexy eyes looking up at me, her mouth still wrapped around me.

She slowly pulled off, her lips sliding up my wet shaft, and released me. She brought her finger and thumb up to her lips and wiped the edges, then ran her tongue over her bottom lip.

"Bella...that was...shit. It was fucking...ridiculous. Unreal. You just blew my fucking mind." I said, running my hand down my face and trying to catch my breath. She looked up at me with a purely angelic and seductive grin.

Suddenly, we heard the door knob rattle behind us.

I quickly pulled my pants up. Emmett walked through the door carrying a couple of paper grocery sacks just as Bella raised from her knees up off the floor and I hurriedly zippered and buttoned my jeans up.

He stopped in his tracks when he saw us. We both stared at him wide-eyed.

He looked at Bella, then at me. "Do we need to start using a sock on the doorknob now?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

Bella grabbed my hand and we rushed down the hallway toward our room.

**Chapter end notes: How nice (and naughty) of Bella to give her man a little treat. I haven't forgotten about the gift in Edward's pocket! It's coming up in chapter 14.**

**Teaser to chapter 14 on my Twitter page Lindsay520.**


	14. Chapter 14

Guarding Isabella

_Disclaimer:__All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

_AH: All Human_

_Rated: M  
><em>

Summary: Edward and Jacob are hired as professional bodyguards for the "2011 Isabella US Tour." What will happen when 'professional' suddenly turns 'personal' and feelings start to develop between the soft-spoken superstar and her new bodyguards?

***Check out my photo banner for GI, made by SoapyMayhem. Copy and paste ****http:/i1218 . photobucket . com/albums/dd404/Lindsay520/1guardingisbl2 . png**** (remove spaces) or visit my profile for a direct link. **

**Chapter notes: I am enjoying every minute of writing this story. Your reviews, tweets, and RTs, make it even better. Thank you for all the smiles! Here you go! **

**To see the gift, copy and paste the link below (remove the spaces) or visit my profile for a direct link.  
><strong>http:/i1218 . photobucket . com/albums/dd404/Lindsay520/PD2038W14D_B . jpg

**Chapter song(s):  
><strong>**Dashboard Confessional "For You To Notice"  
><strong>**Muse "Undisclosed Desires"**

Bella and I burst into our bedroom. We were both laughing. I grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to me. She pressed her forehead to my chest.

"Holy shit!" She said wrapping her arms around my waist and laughing against my shirt. "Thank God he didn't walk in 10 seconds earlier!"

"Oh my God I love you." I said to her, smiling and squeezing her to me.

"I love you too." She said, tilting her head up to look at me. She rested her chin on my chest.

We stood there, grinning at each other for a few moments. Then I reached into my pocket.

"I have something for you." I said, pulling back slightly.

Her eyebrows turned inward. "What do you mean you have something for me?"

I pulled out the long box and held it in front of me. Her eyes widened as she looked at the shiny package. Then she looked up at me.

"What is this?"

"A 'happy release day' gift." I said, giving her a crooked grin.

She tilted her head to the side. "Edward, I don't need any gifts." She said, trying to hold back a smile.

"Shhh, just open it." I said, placing it in her hands. She bit her lip and started to tear the paper off. She opened the box and her mouth dropped open.

"Edward, this is...oh my gosh, this is too beautiful." She said, pulling out the necklace. It was a white gold music note pendant on a long chain. The pendant had three brilliant cut diamonds set into the top of the note.

I took the necklace from her hands and turned her around by her shoulder. "I got the longest chain they offered so that you can wear it under your shirt if you don't want anyone seeing it right away." I fastened the necklace at the nape of her neck.

She looked over her shoulder at me. "Thank you. I love it Edward. I absolutely love it."

"I love you." I said, turning her back around. She rose up onto her tip-toes and wrapped her arms around my neck.

"I love you too."

The next day, Bella was scheduled to perform as the musical guest on the Ellen Degeneres show. It taped early in the morning and aired later in the afternoon. Alice had to have Bella dressed and ready to go by 6:00 AM.

I woke up and rolled over to find her sitting on the edge of the bed on her cell phone.

"I'll meet you in your apartment Alice. No...no, my place is just a mess...I'll be down there in a minute. I'll text Jasper to meet me at your place. Bye." She turned in my direction.

"Oh sweetie, I woke you up. I'm sorry." She said, leaning down and touching my face. I brought my hand up and took hers in mine.

"Don't be sorry. I'm glad I could see you before you left. What time is it?" I asked.

"Almost 5:00."

"Oh wow it's early. Will you take a nice long nap with me when you get back this afternoon?"

"Hmm, cuddle up in bed with my handsome, charming, boyfriend? You don't have to ask me twice." She said, leaning down and kissing me.

Bella showered and left and I got up and went down to the gym. There was only one other guy in there this early in the morning. I liked the peacefulness. I finished working out around 7:00 and headed back up to the apartment to shower.

I walked through the door.

"Oh Jesus fucking Christ Emmett!" I said, turning my face away as quickly as possible. He was standing in the kitchen, looking in the refrigerator, butt-ass naked. I held my hand up to my face, creating a shield as I quickly walked toward the hallway.

"What?" He said. "I'm pretty sure you have one too..." he called out behind me as I made it to the bathroom, "...but maybe not as big!"

"Keep telling yourself that dude!" I called out from behind the door, shaking my head.

I took a shower and got dressed. When I went back out into the living room, Emmett had put on a pair of lounge pants and was sitting on the couch flipping through channels on the TV.

"Wanna go someplace for some pancakes or something? I'm sick of cereal." He said.

"Sure." I said.

"Cool. I'm gonna invite Rose and Alice too." He stood up, but paused, "But remember, about me and Rose...you know nothing."

"Hey, likewise man." I said.

"How 'bout Griddle Cafe down the road?"

"Sounds good."

He walked to his room to get dressed. I turned the TV off, then pulled out my phone. I stared at it. I stared at it some more. Then rubbed my hand across my forehead. I sighed, then texted,

_"Griddle Cafe, 15 minutes, you coming?"_

Send.

A minute later, Emmett came walking out and we started for the elevators. We pushed level 1 to meet the girls, but the elevator stopped to pick someone up at level 2. The doors opened and Jacob stood there.

"Got your text." He said to me, stepping into the elevator.

As the five of us walked the few blocks down the street to the restaurant, Emmett walked a few steps behind with me.

"You three kiss and make up?" He asked, referring to our talk yesterday.

I almost threw up in my mouth, trying hard to block the images from flooding my mind. Thanks for that Emmett. "I definitely wouldn't say that, but things are on the mend I guess." I said to him.

As we sat in the restaurant eating, Rose told us about some interviews she had done recently with potential publicity managers.

"I think I've narrowed it down to two candidates." Rose said. "I just want Bella to meet them both first before making a decision."

"What are they like?" Emmett asked.

"Well, one woman came recommended from an agency. She represented Colbie Caillet and Miranda Lambert, and a couple of actors, too."

"The other one is a guy. He spent the last 5 years representing Gerard Butler, but the travel back and forth from Scotland is getting to be too much for his life and he wants to stay in the US."

"We don't always stay in the US." Alice said, raising her eyebrows.

"You're right. As a matter of fact, I was just working on scheduling the UK shows coming up later in the fall. If he's not up to going, then he's out." She took a sip of her coffee. "I think I'll schedule a meeting tomorrow with Bella and the two candidates. I'd like to get someone on board immediately."

We got back to the apartments just as Jasper and Bella were pulling up in a taxi. They climbed out and we all greeted each other. Bella looked adorable from her television appearance. Her hair was down and her makeup was warm. Alice had dressed her in a navy blue t-shirt dress with a little rope embellishment tie around her waist. I noticed that Bella was wearing her necklace tucked safely under the modest scoop-neck collar and my insides warmed up. I caught Bella's eye and grinned at her. She blushed and I wished we were alone.

I saw Rose take Bella aside and ask her about meeting the new publicists. I stood and listened to everyone's chatter.

"Hey Edward, wanna come work out with us?" Jacob asked. Jasper and Emmett were standing beside him.

"Already did this morning, you guys go ahead." I said, anxious to curl up in bed with my girl for an afternoon nap.

Everyone headed off in different directions and Bella and I entered the elevator to go up to our apartment. The doors closed and I took her hand and brought it to my lips.

"Hi beautiful," I said, kissing her knuckles, "how was the show?"

She turned and looked up at me with a smile. "It was great. Ellen is so funny and the crew is so accommodating. The stand-in band did the song well too. We'll have to watch it this afternoon."

As soon as we walked into our apartment, I scooped Bella up into my arms and carried us to our room. I set her down on the floor and kicked my shoes off, then grabbed my shirt and pulled it off. I unfastened my belt and unzipped my jeans, then caught Bella's eye. She was staring at me. I reached forward and gathered her dress fabric in my hands. She raised her arms and I lifted it up and dropped it on the floor next to my shirt. She wore a matching pink bra and underwear set underneath. I felt my dick stir. I couldn't help but wonder if later tonight we could...mmm, I hadn't been inside of her in three...no, four days. Jesus Edward, you'd gone months without sex, stop being a pussy. God but this was _Bella_.

I pulled my pants off and we crawled into bed in our underwear. We lay on our sides facing each other.

After a long silence, Bella said, "What are we going to do about Jasper?"

I sighed. I knew we'd have to discuss this sooner or later. "I don't know sweetie. How do you think he'll react?"

Bella swallowed. "I think...he's going to freak out."

"Why?" I asked, genuinely curious. Bella knew her brother much better than me.

She shifted up on her elbow and looked down at me. "After everything with Michael, I don't think Jasper is going to accept anybody I want to be with. He'll want you gone. He'll try kicking you off the tour." She said, her voice shaky.

"Bella, you know I'm not going anywhere unless you want me to." I said, relieved that Bella had the final say. She nodded.

She had a distant look in her eyes and I could tell she was deep in thought. "When he finds out we've been lying and sneaking around behind his back...he's going to be so pissed."

"Then maybe we shouldn't drag it out any further. Maybe we should just tell him." I said.

"No." Bella said quickly, her body stiffening up. "I'm...I'm not ready yet. We can't tell him yet Edward. We can't." She said, with slight panic in her voice. I leaned up on my elbow and brought my face close to hers.

"It's OK Bella. We don't have to tell him quite yet." I said softly, cupping her cheek with my hand. She closed her eyes. "We'll tell him when the time is right." I murmured, leaning forward and kissing her gently.

When I pulled back, she opened her eyes. "How is that you always know just what to say or do to make me feel better?" She asked quietly. I just stared into her beautiful eyes. "This is exactly why I love you so much Edward."

My heart tightened in my chest. I closed my eyes and pulled her close to me. _"I love you more than anything Bella. You're my whole world."_ I whispered into her ear as we lowered down to the bed. We clung to each other as we drifted off to sleep.

A couple of hours later, we both woke up to the sound of loud talking and laughter coming from the living room. Bella glanced at the clock on the bedside table.

"Oh, Ellen starts in 10 minutes. Let's go watch." She said sitting up and swinging her legs over the side of the bed. I watched her raise her arms over her head and stretch. My eyes traveled up her body. That curve in her hips, that tight little stomach, those perfect, petite breasts hiding under that bra. God she was sexy as hell.

She walked across the room, opened the dresser drawer, and threw on a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt. I pulled on my own jeans and shirt and we headed out into the living room.

Emmett and Jacob were sitting on the couch. They were eating chips and salsa out of two big bowls sitting on...the new coffee table.

"Hey guys!" Emmett said, noticing us walk in.

"You're just in time for Ellen." Said Jacob, leaning back against the couch. "I hear she's got an awesome musical guest on the show today." He said with a smile.

Bella chuckled and walked toward the kitchen, ruffling Jacob's hair as she passed.

I walked up to the new table and ran my hand across the top. "Nice. Where did this come from?" I asked.

"This furniture place a few miles South of here." Jacob said. "Emmett and I picked it up this afternoon."

"Yeah, the sales guy said we made quite the cute couple." Emmett teased, fake-stretching and putting his arm around Jacob's shoulder. Jacob shoved him and I laughed, taking a seat in one of the chairs.

Bella came walking into the living room with a pitcher of lemonade and some cups just as the show started. She sat cross-legged on the floor as we helped ourselves to the lemonade.

During the first commercial break, Emmett said, "Oh, hey Edward, Bella, my buddies from the gym are throwing a party tonight on the 7th floor. We're all invited. You should come."

"Who's all going?" I asked.

"I think everyone. Remember, we're off tomorrow."

I glanced at Bella. She shrugged her shoulders. "Sure, we'll come for a little while."

The show came back on and we all cheered when Bella was introduced. She sang beautifully, as always, and we all applauded when she finished. Bella blushed and looked endearingly at each of us as we poured out our support and compliments. We were sincere and Bella recognized that. I watched her face as she realized how much loyalty and love surrounded her.

Later that night, Emmett offered to take Bella to the party to avoid any suspicions since Jasper and the girls would be there. I arrived first, around 10:00 PM. The place was packed and the music was loud. Jasper greeted me and tossed me a beer. I cracked it open. Alice and Rose smiled and waved. I saw Jacob talking to a group of guys in the kitchen and noticed he was holding a soda.

I waited anxiously for Emmett and Bella to arrive. Around 10:30, they came walking in and I had to force back my stupid cheesy smile. She was so goddamn pretty. All it took was a pair of simple dark jeans and a vintage Stevie Nicks t-shirt. I had fucking tunnel vision directly to her.

Rose and Alice walked up to her and handed her a beer. She took it and started chatting. A couple of girls came up to Bella and struck up a conversation. Emmett came up to me and we stood and talked for a while. Jasper joined us a minute later. A while later, I watched Rose and Alice walk into the kitchen and start talking and laughing with Jacob. Bella was still in the living room, but the girls had walked away and she stood listening to a muscular dark-haired guy with far too much gel in his hair.

She was nodding and had a polite smile on her face. I must have been glaring because Emmett nudged me and gave me a 'cool it' look. But I wasn't the only one who had noticed the guy with Bella. Jasper was frowning it that direction.

"Who does this guy think he is?" Jasper muttered, "I'll be right back."

"What are you doing?" Emmett said, putting a hand on Jasper's shoulder.

"I'm going to get rid of that guy." Said Jasper.

"Why? She seems fine." Emmett said. Jasper's eyes were locked on his sister. This time, I gave Emmett a discreet nudge and a 'cool it' look. Dude, let him fucking get rid of him, I thought to myself. Emmett glanced at me and held up a finger. He was up to something.

"What if she doesn't want you to get rid of him?" Emmett asked.

"Well too fucking bad, he's no good for her." Jasper said, getting irritated.

"Jaz, I know that guy from the gym, he's not so bad." Emmett said.

Jasper turned to him. "I think I know what's good for my sister." He snapped.

"Do share." Emmett said, bringing his beer to his lips with a goofy grin. "What kind of guy is good for baby-sister Bella?"

Jasper opened his mouth but was lost for words.

Emmett gave him a firm pat on the back. "No guy right?"

Jasper frowned at him.

Emmett sighed loudly, "Sooner or later you're going to have to face it man. She's going to want to date again." He tilted his head back and downed the rest of his beer. "Ooh, good song!" He said, walking off and fist-pumping the air to Muse's "Undisclosed Desires."

Jasper seemed flustered. He took a second to collect his thoughts, then turned and marched up to the guy. I couldn't hear over the music but I saw the guy raise his palms to his sides and respond to whatever Jasper had said to him. The guy turned and walked away. Bella's brow was furrowed and she looked confused. Jasper placed his hand on her back and led her back to wear we were standing.

"Come on Bells. Come talk to Edward and me instead. That guy had bad intentions. I can tell these things."

This guy has some pretty bad intentions too, I thought to myself, as I looked Bella up and down. _God_ I couldn't wait to get her alone later tonight.

About an hour later, I had a decent buzz going and I started to walk around the apartment, to pass the time. I found Bella in the kitchen laughing with Alice and noticed an empty shot glass in her hand.

"Edward!" Alice called out over the music. "Come do a shot with us!" Alice was already drunk, which wasn't surprising for someone of her size.

I walked over, smiling. Bella and I made eye contact. Her cheeks were flushed and she was grinning.

"I'll take a rain check Alice. I'm just sticking with beer tonight." I told her, leaning up against the kitchen counter.

"Aww, you too? Fine, you and Jacob are out. I'm off to find Jasper and Emmett." She said, walking off, two shots in hand.

I slid down the counter a few feet and stopped a few inches from Bella. The kitchen was packed. People were practically standing shoulder to shoulder.

"Are you enjoying your evening Isabella?" I asked in my best, professional tone, looking straight forward. "You don't mind if I call you Bella, do you?" I asked, turning my head slowly to look into her eyes.

"No, not at all. All my bodyguards call me Bella." She said innocently, looking at me. Her eyes were smoldering. "Yes I am enjoying my evening. Thank you for asking." She grabbed a strand of hair that hung over her shoulder and started to twirl it around her finger. "You don't happen to know where the bathroom is do you?" She asked me.

"Yes, it's right past the living room, to the right..."

She interrupted me, "Actually, could you please show me? I'm afraid I'll get lost." She said, biting into that pouty little lip of hers.

"Of course. I'd be happy to show you Bella." I said, standing up straight. "Right this way."

We cut through the sea of people and made our way across the living room. The bathroom was occupied and we stood outside the door in silence. I scanned the room. Jasper stood in the corner of the living room, he was holding an empty shot glass, talking animatedly to a couple of guys that I recognized from the gym. Alice was standing next to him, talking and laughing with Emmett. She stood up on her tip-toes and punched him playfully in the shoulder. I spotted Rose toward the back of the kitchen, standing and chatting with a couple of girls. Jacob was walking through the living room, heading for the kitchen.

I heard the bathroom door open and saw somebody walk past us and into the living room. Then I felt Bella's hand grab onto my t-shirt and pull me in with her. We closed the door and I lifted her up and turned us around, pressing her up against the back of the door. She wrapped her legs around my waist and we groaned as we found each others mouths...

**Chapter end notes: E and B have some lost time to make up for. For a link to a teaser for chapter 15, visit my Twitter page Lindsay520. I added a couple of lines directly out of the next chapter for a little preview ;)**

**To see the necklace, copy and paste the link below (remove the spaces) or visit my profile for a direct link.  
><strong>http:/i1218 . photobucket . com/albums/dd404/Lindsay520/PD2038W14D_B . jpg


	15. Chapter 15

Guarding Isabella

_Disclaimer:__All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

AH: All Human

_Rated: M  
><em>

Summary: Edward and Jacob are hired as professional bodyguards for the "2011 Isabella US Tour." What will happen when 'professional' suddenly turns 'personal' and feelings start to develop between the soft-spoken superstar and her new bodyguards?

***Check out my photo banner for GI, made by SoapyMayhem. Copy and paste ****http:/i1218 . photobucket . com/albums/dd404/Lindsay520/1guardingisbl2 . png**** (remove spaces) or visit my profile for a direct link. **

**Chapter notes: Eeeeee! I've exceeded 500 reviews! Wow! You guys!  
><strong>**Alright, my inspiration for the following scene comes from a SEXY manip made by the ingenious and talented SoapyMahem. Here's a link to the picture (remove spaces) or visit my profile for a direct link.  
><strong>**http:/i1218**** . photobucket . com/albums/dd404/Lindsay520/tumblr_loc4m0nWim1qhvxmvo1_500 . png **

**Chapter song(s):  
><strong>**Avenged Sevenfold "Scream"**

She wrapped her legs around my waist and we groaned as we found each other's mouths. I pressed her up against the door. I was growing harder by the second and pushed the bulge of my jeans into her center.

_"God Bella, do you have any idea how long I've been waiting to get you alone?" _I growled out as my hands found the bottom of her shirt and pulled it up. She raised her arms and I pulled it off. I moved us over to the sink and set her on the edge. I tore off my own shirt and went back for her mouth.

We kissed with urgency, tongues sliding, teeth against lips, gasping and groaning, both of us buzzing from the alcohol. Bella reached behind her back and unclasped her bra. I pulled back slightly to watch as it rolled down her arms and she tossed it on the floor. Oh God she was so fucking sexy, topless, in just her jeans. Those small, perfect breasts were calling me. I lunged forward and she nearly fell into the sink, giggling. I smiled and pressed my nose against her cheek. She propped her hands on either side of the sink and leaned against the bathroom mirror. I pressed my hands on either side of the wall behind her and found her mouth again.

I felt Bella's hand on my chest and it started to slide down in between us. She opened the button on my jeans and I started to kiss down her neck. I moved lower until my mouth found one of her breasts. I took it in my mouth and Bella's hands flew into my hair. She arched into me as I kissed and sucked her nipple. I reached in between us and unzipped my jeans. Bella was kneading her fingers through my hair and moaning softly as I teased and ran my tongue over each of her breasts.

I moved down the middle of her chest and over her flat stomach. She trembled as I kissed lightly along it. I ran my hands down her ribs and over her hips, then undid her jeans. She moved her hands out of my hair and back to the edges of the sink. She lifted her ass off the edge and allowed me to pull her jeans down and off. They fell, along with her shoes, onto the bathroom floor. Oh Jesus, she wore a little black thong.

I pushed my jeans half-way down my hips, then grabbed her legs and wrapped them around my waist again. I reached inside my boxers and pulled my cock out. I pressed the tip against her, over her damp panties. She lifted her hips off the sink again, and closed her eyes.

_"Oh yes, right there."_ She breathed, leaning her head back up against the mirror. I pressed one hand against the wall beside her head and continued to slide my tip up and down her center, feeling her panties get wetter and wetter. After a few seconds of teasing her through her panties, I let go of my dick, slipped my finger underneath them and pulled them down. She unwrapped her legs from around me and they fell down her legs. She pulled one foot out and left them dangling on the other foot. She leaned forward and pushed my boxers down. They joined my jeans around my knees. Bella shifted forward, bringing her ass to the very edge of the sink, and spread her legs for me. She stared at me, her eyes full of pure lust.

_"Fuck Bella, you're killing me. Do you know how fucking sexy you are?"_ I murmured, looking her up and down. She reached forward and grabbed hold of my dick.

_"Well are you just gonna look at me or are you gonna fuck me?"_ She whispered, in the sexiest voice I've ever heard.

I growled as I grabbed her hips and drilled into her.

_"Yes!"_ She yelled out. I quickly brought my mouth over hers, aware of the several party guests just outside the door. I thrust into her forcefully. I felt her heels digging into my ass, pushing me in deeper.

_"Oh my God Bella, oh Jesus..."_ I grunted out, pressing my nose against her cheek and grinding my hips into her. So fucking hot and wet. Her pussy was so tight and took me in so deep. I had never fit so perfectly inside such a small body like hers.

_"Yes, please, oh my God. Do it harder Edward. Yes."_ She moaned out, thrusting her hips against mine as I slid in and out of her wetness.

I leaned down and started to suck along her neck. I wrapped an arm around her back and pulled her even tighter up against me. My pants had fallen down around my ankles now and the mirror had begun to fog up behind us. We were both quickly becoming covered in a thin layer of sweat.

I was pounding into her, certain my pelvis was slapping against her clit with each thrust. She was gasping and I raised my face to look at her face. So fucking beautiful. The hair around her forehead was slightly damp with sweat and her eyes were half open.

I brought my mouth to her ear,_ "Why don't you touch yourself for me babygirl?"_I whispered. She let out a soft cry in response to my words. I leaned back and grabbed under her thighs, holding her legs apart as my thrusting became even faster.

I watched her bring her hand in between us. She slid it over her hip bone and dipped down in between her thighs. She used her two middle fingers to touch her clit and move in little circles.

_"That's right Bella, good girl."_I murmured. Her eyes met mine again, I was getting close.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and we heard some random girl call out, "I've really gotta pee, are you almost done in there?"

Shit, shit, shit.

"Almost!" Bella called out. Her eyes burned into mine._ "Almost baby...come with me Edward." _She squeezed her eyes closed, then a second later, took a deep breath, opened her mouth and let herself go.

_"Yes...yes...God yes!"_ I grunted out quietly between gritted teeth with each thrust as I spilled out inside of her. The adrenaline, excitement, and pleasure running throughout my body was enough to fucking kill me. I slammed into her over and over, my cock throbbed as her walls squeezed me. She was crying out softly, trying not to be too loud.

Bella had brought her hand up behind her and pressed it into the mirror. Her hair was sticking to the foggy glass and she looked fucking hot as hell, consumed by the intensity of her orgasm. I pulled out of her, grimacing at the loss of contact.

The girl knocked on the door again. We were both fighting to catch our breath, but we quickly started to scramble to get ourselves together. Bella and I each grabbed a bunch of toilet paper and cleaned ourselves up. I pulled my pants up and found my shirt. Bella pulled her panties back on and quickly pulled on her jeans and shirt. She slipped her shoes on and reached for the door. She looked back at me.

"Hold on a second." I whispered, reaching into my jeans pocket. I pulled out my money clip. "OK, go ahead."

Bella opened the door and slipped out. A girl with short brown hair walked in and stopped in her tracks when she saw me. I handed her a $50. "You didn't see anything, OK?"

The girl stared at me with wide eyes and her mouth shaped in a small "o". She nodded her head and I walked out.

The next morning, we all slept in. It wasn't until around 11:00 AM when I awoke to the sound of Bella's phone vibrating on the bedside table. She rolled over and grabbed it.

"Text from Rose." She said with sleep in her voice. "She wants me to meet the two publicist candidates this afternoon."

"Mmm, tell her too bad, you're sleeping in with your boyfriend all afternoon." I said, throwing an arm over her waist and pulling her tight up against my side.

She wrapped her arm around my neck and pulled me into a kiss. "I wish I could, but I think that would give us away." She said, smiling against my lips. "I'm going to take a shower. Will you make some coffee?"

"How about if I join you?" I said, shifting my hips forward and pressing my hard-on against her hip.

"You know I'd love that," she said, bringing her hand down in between us and touching it over my boxers, "but I hear Emmett out there in the living room. I don't think he needs to know any more than he already does." She slowly started to rub me up and down under the sheets.

"God Bella, you were so incredibly sexy last night." I said, closing my eyes and pressing my forehead to hers. Between thinking about last night and the feel of her hand over my dick, I was beginning to squirm.

"No_, you_ were incredibly sexy." She said quietly, leaning her face inward to kiss my lips. "I'm glad I had a big, strong, sexy-ass bodyguard to escort me to the bathroom."

I moved my hand down her hip and over her thigh. She slipped her hand beneath my boxers and I groaned as she took hold of my cock. "OK..." she murmured, beginning to rub her thighs together to create friction, "I'll go start the shower if you think you can sneak in without him noticing."

My eyes popped open and my lips turned up into a huge grin. You'd think somebody told me I was 6 again and about to go to Disney World.

Bella slipped out of bed and walked out of our bedroom. I waited near the door until I heard the shower start up. I peeked around the bedroom door and down the hall. Emmett was in the kitchen, stirring something on the stove. I waited a few minutes to see what his next move would be. He turned toward the refrigerator and while his back was to me, I quickly crept down the hallway and slipped into the bathroom without being seen. I closed the door without a sound.

Bella was already in the shower. I dropped my boxers and approached the tub. I slowly pulled the curtain aside and peeked in. My cheeks hurt again from smiling. I was giddy. I thought about the morning after we had made up from the stalker incident and how I had fantasized about her in the shower. God, here I was, and it was real.

Her eyes were closed and she was standing under the spray washing her hair. I watched the soapy water run down her perfect little body, down the middle of her breasts, over her little stomach and belly-button, down between her legs. Oh God it should be illegal to look that good.

She finished washing her hair and stepped out of the spray. She opened her eyes and saw me staring at her.

"There you are." She said quietly with a cute grin. "Are you coming in or what?"

I nodded and stepped into the tub. I moved under the spray and let the hot water soak me. My eyes never left hers. I was hard as a rock. She brought her hand up to my chest and slowly ran her fingers down my body. She slowed down when she reached my lower stomach, but kept going, agonizingly slow, until she found my dick.

That's it, I couldn't take it anymore, I closed the distance between us and crashed into her mouth with a soft moan. She reciprocated, bringing her tongue out and moving urgently against my lips. She started to stroke me in between our bodies. I moved my hand down her back, lower, lower, until I found that tight little ass and grabbed onto it. She gasped into my mouth and then it turned into a slow moan.

I wanted her. I didn't want to wait any longer. I took her by the shoulder and turned her around. I used my palm to press gently between her shoulder blades and she bent over at the waist. She pressed her hands against the wet wall tiles and looked over her shoulder at me. I never wanted to forget this image. Bella, naked in the shower, bent over with that perfect ass on display, waiting for me to take her from behind.

I stared into her eyes as I grabbed hold of my dick. Then I moved my hips forward and stuck it into her pussy. She gasped a little too loud and I curled my fingers around her hip and brought my other hand up to my mouth. She looked back at me with her mouth open as I put my finger up to my lips, telling her to keep it quiet. She licked her lips and nodded, then closed her eyes as I slowly pulled out and pushed back in.

She opened her legs up a little more and I began to thrust into her. Oh my God I loved her at this angle. Her body was so amazing and sexy and I could get so fucking deep inside of her. I brought my other hand down to her hip and started to pull her hard against me as I pushed into her. The sound of our wet bodies slapping together echoed dangerously loud against the tile walls. I fucking hoped Emmett couldn't hear.

I slid my hand over her hip and around the front of her body. I moved up her stomach and soon found her breasts. They were jiggling from the momentum of my thrusting and I grabbed hold of one. Bella had turned back toward the wall and I could hear her gasping. I wished I could see her face. Fuck it. I pulled out of her, grabbed her by the arm, and spun her around again. I lifted her thigh over my hip and pushed up into her.

She cried out softly and threw her head back. I wrapped my hand around her lower back to hold her steady as I thrust into her. She grabbed onto my biceps to help hold herself upright. I curled my hips into her and squeezed my eyes closed. So fucking good.

Bella let go of one of my arms and started to play with her clit. She must have touched it just right because she was suddenly coming around me, her walls squeezing my cock as she opened her mouth, stared into my eyes, and fought to hold back what looked like a scream of pleasure. I'd never seen a more erotic look on that pretty face of hers. I could tell she was desperate to let it out and I wanted nothing more than to hear her loud and uncontrolled.

She let out a long sigh of completion and looked up at me. I had slowed my thrusts while she was finishing, but now she grabbed me around the neck and pulled my face down to hers.

_"I want to see you come Edward. Do it all over me baby_." She growled, barely touching my lips.

_"Oh fuck Bella!"_ I cried out in shock. She couldn't be any hotter. There was seriously no way she could be any hotter. I started to thrust into her with everything I had. I gripped her leg, holding it around me and let go from around her back. She leaned up against the tile wall and I pressed my hand against the wall beside her.

_"Yes, yes, fuck yes_!" I grunted out with each thrust. I watched her bring her hand up to her breast and pinch her nipple. That did it. I pulled my cock out of her and stroked myself through it, exploding all over her wet stomach.

_"That's right Edward, yes, all over me baby, yes."_ She whispered, grabbing my bicep again as I pumped my fist over my dick. I watched it all stick to her stomach and start to drip down. I gritted my teeth together as the throbbing peaked and it finally stopped coming out. I let out a long, deep breath of air and let go of my dick. I pulled Bella under the spray and we kissed as the water ran down in between our bodies.

"I fucking love you." I murmured, as my breathing started to return back to normal.

_"Oh God Edward, I love you too."_ She breathed, pressing her cheek to my chest.

Bella and I got dressed and came walking into the living room where Emmett was watching cartoons on the TV. I hoped he didn't notice that we both had wet hair when the shower only ran once this morning.

"Morning kids." He said, scooping a forkful of macaroni and cheese into his mouth.

"Well actually, good afternoon." Said Bella, glancing at the digital clock on the cablebox. It was a little past noon. "Say Emmett, would you want to come along to meet these two publicists Rose is interviewing? I don't want to show up with Edward alone because...well, you know." Bella said shrugging one shoulder.

Emmett agreed to come along, and, a few minutes later, the three of us were climbing into a cab. We were about a block away from Rose's headquarters when we came into a traffic jam.

"We can walk the rest of the way, it's not far." Said Bella. She handed the cab driver some cash and we all got out. I didn't like that she paid and tried to hand her some dollar bills. She playfully shoved me away, but I grabbed the back pocket of her jeans and tucked the bills inside. We started to walk.

For an early Saturday afternoon, the streets of L.A. were packed. Bella didn't go out much on Saturdays because she usually always had a show to prep for. This was the first Saturday she had off in months.

She didn't go without being noticed. We had only taken a few steps when we heard a squeal and a young woman came running up to Bella. Emmett and I stood up a little straighter. Neither of us cared that we were off duty today. Whenever Bella needed us, we were there.

Bella smiled and signed an autograph. The excited young woman drew attention of others and a couple more people started to approach her. Bella happily signed more autographs and posed for a couple of pictures. We made it about half a block when a crowd of about 7 or 8 people came rushing up, and seconds later, several more. Almost everybody was holding a cell phone and texting away. My mind immediately went to all those social networking sites and I knew people were busily updating her whereabouts.

Bella glanced up at me. She didn't even have to say anything, I knew. I turned and nodded at Emmett. He took a step forward and started to break the crowd up so that Bella could walk through.

"OK people, Isabella has someplace to be, let's clear a path here." He said loudly, motioning outward with his arms. The people started to back off to the sides and I put my hand on Bella's shoulder. She inched in a little closer to me. She waved to her fans and we started to walk through the path Emmett created.

People had begun shouting her name and trying to snap pictures with their cell phones. I knew it wouldn't take long for paparazzi to catch wind and show up. Sure enough, I saw 3 guys in baseball caps up ahead, clicking away on their big professional cameras. Bella noticed and immediately turned into my side. I knew how much she hated those creeps. I held her to me as she hid her face and allowed Emmett to handle the photographers.

Emmett purposely walked right in front of Bella to prevent the unwanted pictures. With him in front and me right beside her, they weren't getting any good shots. Emmett held up his hands, blocking the lenses.

"No pictures please. Enough. No pictures." He said sternly. We made it down the last half of the block and arrived in front of Rose's building.

We stepped into the elevator. "Well I'm glad I didn't go alone." Bella said with a sigh. "Thanks guys."

"No problem Bells." Said Emmett cheerfully. "I'm just glad there were only three of those papz."

We all knew how relentless the L.A. paparazzi could be. It was in L.A. where Jasper broke his hand fending one of them off and I knew it still bothered Bella to know he had hurt himself protecting her.

The doors dinged and opened up. We saw Rose, in her signature pants suit, talking to her receptionist.

"Hi Bella." She said with a smile. "I'm glad you brought these two, I should have texted you to bring a guard, those streets are pretty packed this afternoon. Anyway, I made two appointments. You'll meet one now and the other one is coming in at 1:00. You ready?"

Bella nodded. "Can the guys come too?" She asked Rose.

"I don't see why not. After all, we'll all be touring with this person in a few short weeks." She led us all to conference room 1.

We all walked in and there was a young woman sitting at one of the chairs. She stood up to greet us with a smile. She looked about 27 or 28 and wore her blond hair twisted into an up-do. She looked very professional in a gray pencil skirt and white blouse. I examined her face...wait just a minute...

Rose spoke, "Bella, Edward, Emmett, I'd like you to meet..."

"Irina." I said, finishing Rose's sentence. Everyone turned to look at me.

"Do we...know each other?" The woman asked, a confused look on her face.

"Um, sort of. I met you through your sister...Tanya." I said awkwardly. I felt bad for interrupting the introduction, not to mention bringing up a past girl that I dated in front of Bella. I just hadn't expected to walk in and see someone I had already met.

"Oh yes, Edward from D.C. right?" She said pointing at me. "Wow, what a small world." She said with a thoughtful smile. Then she turned back to Bella, "Well, forgive me Isabella, for getting side-tracked," she said, extending her hand toward Bella. Bella took it and smiled. "It's so very nice to meet you. I'm a big fan of your music."

"Nice to meet you too. You can call me Bella."

"Certainly, Bella." Irina said warmly.

We all sat down.

"Irina," Rose started, "Emmett and Edward are two of Bella's four bodyguards." Irina nodded and smiled at both of us. The girls started talking and Bella and Irina seemed to hit it off right away. About 20 minutes into the meeting, Rose's receptionist knocked on the door and poked her head in. Rose stepped out to speak to her.

Five minutes later, Rose returned. "Well, this was an easy decision," Rose said, "the other candidate just called to cancel his meeting and back out of the running. He is not able to commit to the travel requirements."

Bella turned to Irina, stood up, and extended her hand. "Irina, welcome aboard the 2011 Isabella US Tour." She said with a smile.

Irina stood up and shook Bella's hand. "Thank you so much Bella, Rose. It is an honor!"

**Chapter end notes: Thoughts? First, I got a little raunchier with the lemons, specifically with the shower one. Too much? Just enough? Eeh, I figured I'd go all out. What did you think of the manip?  
><strong>**Now, how about the new publicist? Leave me a review and tell me what you think!**

**Teaser to chapter 16 on my Twitter page Lindsay520**


	16. Chapter 16

Guarding Isabella

_Disclaimer:__All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

AH: All Human

_Rated: M  
><em>

Summary: Edward and Jacob are hired as professional bodyguards for the "2011 Isabella US Tour." What will happen when 'professional' suddenly turns 'personal' and feelings start to develop between the soft-spoken superstar and her new bodyguards?

***Check out my photo banner for GI, made by SoapyMayhem. Copy and paste ****http:/i1218 . photobucket . com/albums/dd404/Lindsay520/1guardingisbl2 . png**** (remove spaces) or visit my profile for a direct link. **

**Chapter notes: My inspiration for Edward's look for the game: Copy and paste the link or visit my profile for a direct link.  
>(remove spaces)<br>****http:/i1218 . photobucket . com/albums/dd404/Lindsay520/robert-pattinson-skinny-gold-tie-suit-hair-side-part-2011-new-1 . jpg**

**Chapter songs:  
><strong>**Muse "Assassin"  
><strong>**Secondhand Serenade "Your Call"**

It was Sunday afternoon and Emmett and I were getting ready to head down to the lobby to meet the rest of the crew for the Lakers Game. Bella was in Rose and Alice's apartment getting dressed and done-up.

I was dressed and waiting in our living room. We didn't wear our usual black security shirts for events such as these because it was a public outing, not a usual performance at a concert hall. We dressed up a little more. I wore a suit and tie and wore my hair combed neatly for a change.

Emmett came strutting down the hall and into the living room. He spun around. "Tell me I don't look good." He said to me, straightening his gray tie and smoothing his hands down his suit jacket.

I rolled my eyes. "Let's go pretty boy." I said heading for the door. We joined Jacob and Jasper in the lobby.

"The girls are on their way down." Jasper said, reading a text off his phone. "Rose invited Irina to come along too, so we'll get to meet her." Jasper said to Jacob. He nodded.

The elevator doors opened and Rose, Alice, and Bella walked out. They were all dressed up and very presentable. Rose was in black, Alice in pink, and of course my tunnel vision kicked in immediately and I only had eyes for Bella. Alice had dressed her in a fitted, rich purple twist-front dress, very appropriately planned for the Lakers colors. She wore tall gray pumps and Alice had styled her hair in long, cascading waves.

They walked up to us smiling. A minute later, we heard a woman's voice coming from behind us.

"Is the whole crew here?"

We all turned around. Irina was standing there smiling in a knee-length, professional, white dress.

"We are now." Rose said with a grin and a nod in her direction.

Irina extended her hand to Jasper. "Hi, I'm Irina, Bella's new publicist."

"Jasper, head of security and Bella's brother, pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise. Well, if we're all here, let's load up our ride." She said, gesturing out front where a black stretch limousine was parked in front of the lobby doors.

"Whoa, is that for us?" Emmett asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Yes. I'll arrange for a limo for all public outings. Bella should arrive in style, don't you think?" Irina said, winking at Bella.

"Wait, there's one more person you haven't met yet." Jasper said. "Irina, this is Jacob, another one of Bella's bodyguards."

In the entire time I've known Jacob, I have never seen him at a loss for words...until now. He stood next to me, locked in place, eyes wide, tight-lipped, staring at Irina.

Irina stepped forward and I thought I saw her eyes do a quick up and down of him.

"Hello." She said, a little softer than her initial greeting to the group. After a second, she extended her hand. Jacob didn't move. The hand extension was becoming awkward and I almost nudged him in the side to shake her hand already. He brought it up and took her hand in a quick shake.

"Hi. I'm Jacob. Or Jake. You can call me Jacob...or Jake, I mean, either is fine. Nice...nice to meet you." He stuttered out. Wow, that was painful to watch. Irina grinned at him and turned on her heel.

"Right this way everyone." She said, leading us to the limo.

During the ride there, Rose explained our seating arrangements. Stadium management had reserved three courtside seats for Bella and two others. They reserved private box seating for the rest of her party. Rose asked Bella to choose which two guards would sit beside her on the court, and the rest would join Rose and the girls in the box seats after she sang the song. All four of us guys started to banter like school children trying to convince Bella who to choose. The girls just sat there, watching ands grinning.

"This is too hard!" Bella protested, looking at each of us guys. "OK OK, I'm just going to choose!" She took a deep breath, "Jasper and Edward!" She blurted out, hiding her face.

"Yes!" We both said, high-fiving each other. Emmett and Jacob groaned.

From the moment our limo pulled up, Bella's fans were anxious and adamant to see her. The whole city knew she'd be singing at the game tonight and the Staples Center was sold out. It took over 30 minutes to make it through the stadium and down to the waiting area near the court entrance.

Even the waiting area was packed. Management and employees were bustling all around and soon the players themselves were filing through the entrance. They were jumping and yelling anxiously, loud and pumped up for the game. A couple of the players noticed Bella and came up to greet her.

One of them put his huge hand on her shoulder, my jaw clenched. They didn't get to talk to her for too long, because they were announced to enter the court. The crowd was deafening. Moments later, the announcer introduced Bella to sing the National Anthem.

I leaned down to her discreetly and whispered, _"You'll do great, I love you."_

She smiled at me, then took a deep breath, and walked out onto the court. The four of us guards stood watching from the entrance.

She sang it exquisitely, hitting all of the notes dead-on. I was so freaking proud of her I could hardly stand it. I applauded with the rest of the crowd with a huge smile plastered on my face.

Emmett slapped Jasper on the back, "That's your sister man!" He said with exhilaration.

"I know!" Jasper said, full of pride.

Emmett turned to me and we bumped fists. Jacob turned to me with a smirk, grabbed my hand, and bumped my shoulder in a half-hug. Emmett and Jacob headed up to the box seats and Jasper and I joined Bella beside the court.

We were enjoying the game. Bella was smiling the entire time and I wanted to put my arm around her so badly. Toward the end of the game, Jasper started texting the three of us guards. We came up with a plan to get Bella out of the stadium safely. Jasper and I would escort Bella up to the private box seating area where the rest of the group was. We'd wait there until the stadium started to clear out. Then we'd take her out once the crowd was less condensed.

Unfortunately, the Lakers lost to the Celtics. As soon as it was over, Jasper and I stood up to take Bella up to the box seats. We left the court and walked through the private waiting area and through the secure doors. We had to go up two floors and down a few aisles to reach our destination.

As soon as we stepped out into the main vicinity, I knew we should have called Jacob and Emmett down for backup. The crowd was rowdy and pissed off due to their team's loss. Jasper and I looked at each other.

"Let's make this fast man." He said to me. We walked with Bella in between us, hiding her as best as we could. We reached the elevators, but the line was long and full of drunken fans.

"Let's take the stairs." Jasper said.

Too late. Bella had been seen and fans started to run up. They were obnoxious and rude as they tried to shove their way closer to her. People started to yell her name and soon everybody within 100 feet was aware of her and charging toward us.

The crowd was closing in. Shit. This was bad. This was really bad. I looked down at Bella, attached to our sides. She was terrified. Jasper and I were doing our best to ward people off and get her through to a safe area but the crowd was ruthless. I was losing my patience.

_"That's it!"_ I yelled over the crowd, _"Everyone fucking move!"_

_"Fuck you!"_ Some drunk guy yelled and that's when people started to shove each other. Jasper and I started to push people out of the way. One guy slammed right into my shoulder and I lurched sideways into Bella. She cried out, nearly falling to the floor. Jasper caught her and helped her back up.

"Bella, are you OK?" I said urgently, taking her by the hand.

"Edward...I...I'm really scared." She said, her face white.

"We're going to get you out of here." I said to her, pulling her close to me as the crowd grew angrier. Jasper was shouting Emmett's name into his cell phone but suddenly, another person came stumbling into us and his phone flew from his hands and fell somewhere beneath the crowd.

"Fuck!" I heard him say.

A fist fight broke out between two guys next to us. Some people started to shove their way closer to watch the fight, others were trying to get away, and panic broke out as people charged in opposite directions. I held onto Bella and pushed my way through the mob. Jasper was behind us now. We were getting further from him but I knew he could fend for himself. I had to get Bella out of there.

I heard Bella cry out and saw a man grabbing her wrist. I grabbed his arm and flung him off of her. He stumbled off, getting lost in the sea of people. I led Bella around the crammed cluster of bodies as quickly as possible. I felt her slow down and looked back at her. She was pulling her high heels off so she could move quicker. I shoved our way toward the edge of the huge stadium aisle, trying to get around the bulk of the frenzy, but two huge men came tumbling out of nowhere, swinging and grabbing at each other in an altercation. They slammed right into Bella and me, throwing us up against the cement wall. My adrenaline was out of control. I grabbed each of them by the shirt collar, spun them around, and slammed them both on top of a hotdog stand. They were drunk and unstable and both fell to the floor.

I looked at Bella. She stood flat up against the wall, her eyes brimming with tears. Her shoes were nowhere to be seen and she was holding the back of her head. She brought her hand around and there was blood on her fingers. Shit. That's when I picked her up and started moving. She wrapped her arms tightly around my neck and I held her close to my chest. She was shaking. I pushed my way through the riot, not caring who the hell I collided with in the process. I saw a couple of doors up ahead. They each had a sign that said "Employees Only." I twisted the handle, it was locked. I moved to the next door, dodging a group of women who came rushing past us. It was open.

I burst inside and swung it closed behind me. It was an entrance to a concession room.

Bella was crying. I leaned up against the door and slid down to the floor with her. I sat on the floor, holding her in my arms as four shocked employees in hairnets stared at us.

"Don't just fucking stand there! Call stadium security!" I shouted at them. Clearly they could see what was unfolding just outside their stand.

"Someone already did!" I heard one of them call out. A second later, I could hear various men shouting orders out through a megaphone on the other side of the door. I sighed in relief.

One older woman employee came up to us and knelt down beside us. She had mustard stains all over her uniform.

"Are you hurt dear?" She asked Bella, putting a gloved hand on her shoulder.

"Yes she is, do you have a first aid kit back here?" I asked her. The woman nodded and hurried off to get the kit.

I carefully peeled Bella's arms from around my neck and leaned her forward so that I could take a look at her.

"I...hit...my head...Edward." She sobbed looking at the blood on her hands.

"I know baby. I'm going to take care of you. It's going to be OK." I said to her. The woman came back with the first aid kit. I looked up at the employee. "Do you know how to use an Iphone?" I asked her. She shook her head no.

"I do." A younger guy with freckles said, stepping up to us. He removed his plastic gloves and took my phone as I held gauze up to the back of Bella's head.

"Find Jasper in the contacts and call him. Tell him where we are. Tell him it's Edward and Bella."

"OK." The guy said, nodding.

Two hours later, all 7 of us were standing around the waiting room of the ER. A short, round nurse came walking up to us and told us we could see Bella now. We followed her down a long hallway where she led us into a little square room. Bella was sitting on the edge of a skinny hospital bed, her purple dress wrinkled, dabbing her eyes with a tissue.

We all rushed up to her. Jasper hugged her and I took her hand. I so badly wanted to pull her to me and just hold her.

"Six stitches and a mild concussion." She said with a shaky breath.

The next morning, the uproar at the Staples Center was on the front page of the newspaper. Five people were hospitalized. The cause was never officially determined, but Jasper and I knew what really went down.

Jasper invited me down to the gym the next morning to work out. Bella stayed in our apartment resting on the couch, while Emmett kept her company. She was supposed to tape a segment as the celebrity guest judge of a reality music show that morning, but Rose and Irina decided to cancel her appearance due to her concussion.

"Why did I think we could get her through with just the two of us?" Jasper said, curling dumbbells in each of his arms. "I should have called Emmett and Jacob down right from the beginning." He said, shaking his head.

"You can't blame yourself man," I said, swinging my legs up on the ab stand, "there was no way to know what kind of crowd it would be."

"I'm just glad you got her out of there." He said, setting the weights down. "I never got a chance to thank you."

"No problem, you know I'd do anything for Bella." I said, hopping down from the stand. If only he knew the extent of my sincerity.

"Edward, seriously, thank you." He said, staring at me. "You took control and I appreciate that. You're really proving to be a true professional in this business."

I stared back at him. I don't know what came over me, but I had the sudden urge to blurt out, 'I'm sleeping with her.'

But I didn't.

I didn't say a word. I couldn't yet. It wasn't the right time. Bella wouldn't want him to find out that way.

We each headed back up to our apartments. Jacob had come over. He and Emmett sat on the couch watching TV.

"What's up guys?" I said, as I tossed my gym bag near the hallway. "Where's Bella?"

"Just carried her to your bedroom. She fell asleep on the couch." Jacob said, looking over his shoulder at me.

I knew she'd be tired today. She didn't get much sleep last night. The doctor told her it was safe to sleep with a mild concussion, but she was still shaken up from what had happened and was restless all night.

I headed down the hall and peeked into our room. She was curled up under the blanket on my side of the bed. I was going to let her be, but she was like a magnetic force, pulling me to her. I walked up to the edge of the bed and knelt down on the floor. I stared at her sleeping face, then shook my head and pressed my forehead against the mattress. I couldn't believe the magnitude of love I had for her. It was unreal. I lived for this girl. I was born to love her. There was no way I could ever be without her.

Eventually, I did convince myself to let her rest, and I headed back out into the living room. I took a seat in a chair across from the guys.

I suddenly remembered that I wanted to give Jacob shit for acting like an idiot in front of Irina when they met.

"So Jacob, or Jake. Can I can you Jacob...or Jake...or is either fine?" I said, mocking his words from yesterday. Emmett stood up from his place on the couch, leaned over the coffee table and gave me a high-five.

"You should have seen this pussy up in the box seats last night!" Emmett said, pointing at Jacob with his thumb. "He'd get a stiffie anytime she'd walk by!"

"You're full of shit." Jacob said, rubbed his forehead back and forth.

"Hey now, maybe Edward can put in a good word for you. He knows her." Emmett told Jacob.

Jacob whipped his head in my direction. "You know her? What do you mean? How do you know her?" He asked, not pausing in between questions.

Emmett and I both laughed at his excitement. "I dated her sister for a short while." I said, keeping my voice low, just in case Bella would hear. I planned to tell her the details anyway, but on my own terms. "It was about 2 years ago."

Jacob was quiet. Emmett spoke up. "And what was her sister like?"

"Tanya was...well, she was nice, but a little too egotistical for my liking." I said, remembering some of the vain comments I'd hear her make and how much time she spent getting ready to go out. "Irina always seemed a little more mature than her sister, which makes sense because she is older." I pointed out.

Jacob was still quiet. This was a side of him I had never seen. It was very strange.

Emmett stared at Jacob. "Dude...are you gonna ask him, or am I gonna have to ask him?" Emmett said under his breath.

"What?" Jacob said, looking at Emmett.

Emmett sighed and turned to me. "Alright, I know Jacob is wondering...being sisters, I'm sure there are _some_ similarities, so...how was Tanya in bed?" He asked quietly.

"Dude, you know I'm not even going there!" I said, a little shocked that he'd expect me to spill that information. Jacob leaned over and smacked Emmett upside the head.

"Alright, alright!" Emmett said, dropping the subject. He stood up and walked to the kitchen for a soda. I leaned back in my chair shaking my head. There was nothing to brag about anyways. Tanya wasn't thrilling in the sack. She was rather selfish, now that I thought about it. She'd never give anything in return, it was always about her. I could go down on her and give her the orgasm of the century and she'd roll over afterward and want to cuddle and fall asleep.

No, not like my Bella. God, Bella is the best sex I've ever had. She's gorgeous, sweet, generous, and a wild little minx when she wants to be. Without a doubt, she beats any woman I have been with by a long-shot. How did I get so fucking lucky? Not only did I fall in love with the most beautiful woman in the world, but she blows my mind in bed too. Bonus.

All of our phones chimed at the same time. We pulled them out and read the group text from Rose:

_"Weekly meeting, my apartment, 4:00 PM"_

"You guys ready for a fun-filled week of music video shoot?" Emmett asked, looking at Jacob and me.

"Ready as we'll ever be." I said.

**Chapter end notes: So what do you think? Still worried about Irina? How did you feel during the riot? Share your thoughts or predictions and leave me a review! I might even use your predictions in the story...I've already done it twice ;) You guys inspire me! **

**Teaser to chapter 17 on my Twitter page Lindsay520**


	17. Chapter 17

Guarding Isabella

_Disclaimer:__All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

AH: All Human

_Rated: M  
><em>

Summary: Edward and Jacob are hired as professional bodyguards for the "2011 Isabella US Tour." What will happen when 'professional' suddenly turns 'personal' and feelings start to develop between the soft-spoken superstar and her new bodyguards?

***Check out my photo banner for GI, made by SoapyMayhem. Copy and paste ****http:/i1218 . photobucket . com/albums/dd404/Lindsay520/1guardingisbl2 . png**** (remove spaces) or visit my profile for a direct link.**

**Chapter notes: I love the passion some of you are showing in your reviews and messages. Tells me I've really sucked you into the story! That makes me happy! :) Now, onto the music video shoot...and action!**

**Chapter song(s):  
><strong>**Tool "Schism"  
><strong>**Secondhand Serenade "Half Alive"**

The music video shoot would take three full days. Jasper wasn't taking any more chances with security anymore, so he scheduled all 4 of us to be there the entire time.

We arrived on set at 8:00 AM Wednesday morning. Bella was rested and feeling much better. The studio she was filming in was packed with people and equipment. The camera and lighting crew were busy setting up. The caterers were setting their tables up along the walls and hauling in various refreshments.

Alice came walking up to us. "Bella, I need to steal you away for a little while before the director starts his meeting. I have a couple of outfits I need you to try on." Bella walked off with Alice and the four of us guys looked around.

I saw Rose and Irina talking to a man with a black beard and bifocals, he was writing things down on a clipboard and had a pencil behind each ear. I guessed he was the director.

"Scones!" Emmett said, making his way up to a table of food.

"Hold on a minute Emmett. The two of us will be on door duty. Edward and Jacob will take the inside. We'll switch after lunch."

Emmett grabbed a scone and he and Jasper headed up to watch the doors. Jacob gave me a nod and we headed off in opposite directions, doing a quick walk-through of the place, locating various exit doors and any other places intruders could sneak in or hide.

About 15 minutes later, the director spoke through a megaphone to gather everyone together for a meeting. I watched Bella walk across the studio with Alice. She was wearing a pretty blue lace dress. Our eyes met and we both smiled and quickly looked away.

The director introduced himself and the heads of each team involved. Cameras, Lighting, Props, Wardrobe, and lastly, the talent. Everyone applauded during Bella's introduction.

"And I'd like to introduce the gentleman who will be playing Miss Isabella's love interest in the video." He stepped aside and a young man, with short, sandy blond hair and blue eyes stepped forward. "This, everyone, is James. You may have seen him in a few ads or commercials recently for Calvin Klein."

My jaw clenched immediately. _This guy_ was going to be playing my girlfriend's_ love interest_? I glared at the guy, examining his stance and body language. He looked cocky. He stood there, shifted to one side, with his thumbs in the pockets of his jeans, scanning over everyone's faces in the group. He stopped and grinned. I followed his eyes to see Bella directly in his line of sight. Wipe that stupid smile off your face dumbass.

After the director and assistant went over the storyboards, the group scattered and everyone started to prepare the set for the shoot. The director wanted to start filming in one hour.

Bella was in her dressing room with Alice so I walked over to the refreshment table and poured myself a coffee. Jacob came walking up and grabbed an apple out of a bowl.

"I think I'm losing it man." Jacob said, biting into the apple.

"What's up?" I asked.

"It's Irina," he said, glancing across the room. Irina stood in front of a table, looking at the storyboards in great detail, "I can't function around her. It's like she's...taken over my mind." He said quietly.

"So you like her, why don't you try asking her out?" I said, taking a whiff of my coffee, then taking a sip.

"Dude, you don't get it. I'm Jacob. I can make any girl laugh and I can usually always get them to go out with me. But when I'm around her, I fucking freeze up. I've never had this problem before." He said shaking his head.

"Just see how things are in a couple days, maybe you'll loosen up a bit. You kind of have to loosen up, she's going to be on _our_ tour bus when the shows pick up again in a few weeks."

Jacob froze. "What?"

I had to force back a laugh. "That's right," I said, playing it up, "she'll be on our tour bus, using our shower, changing clothes in our aisle, sleeping in the bunk…right beneath you..."

"Stop." Jacob said, his eyes glossing over. He turned and walked off. I started to walk toward Bella's dressing room, chuckling. Alice passed me, heading for the refreshment table. She waved and smiled. I smiled back and looked up ahead, searching for Bella. Her dressing room door was open a few inches. I approached the door and heard talking.

"...yeah, Calvin Klein. And I just did a cover for Men's Health and a spread in Details. I'm in negotiation for a GQ cover right now. Do you ever read any of those magazines?"

"No, not really. Have you done any other music videos?" Bella asked.

"Just one. A year ago, I had some pretty hot and heavy scenes with Rihanna. Do you like Rihanna?"

"Yes, very much. We met a couple of times. She's a sweetheart."

"You're a sweetheart. But I think you already know that." James said suggestively, his voice getting softer.

I felt my whole body heat up as the rage started to build. I stood locked in place, outside the door, listening.

"Isabella...can I call you Bella? It such a cute little nickname." He said.

"Um, sure." Bella said.

"Well Bella...if there's one thing I learned from posing with other female models and working closely with the opposite sex...it's break the ice right from the start."

I didn't like where this was going. I didn't like it at all. I leaned slightly to my left so that I could peek through the doorway. Bella was sitting on a chair, dressed in her first outfit for the shoot, a pretty white halter dress and matching white sandals. James was sitting in a chair directly in front of her. James was also dressed for the scene in jeans and a tan button down, with the top three buttons left undone. He was leaning in towards her, with his elbows on his knees.

He continued, "We'll be getting close to each other in a few of these scenes and I want you to be comfortable with my body. Do you understand me sweetheart?"

Call her fucking sweetheart one more time and you'll be eating my fucking fist jerkoff.

"Um, I think the director will tell us what to do, I'm not worried about..."

"Trust me Bella. It's better to go in prepared. Now, I want to try something..." He said, reaching for Bella's hand on her lap. I held my breath. He slowly brought her hand toward him and through the opening of his shirt. He placed her hand on his bare chest and held it there. "See...be comfortable...get to know me, _get to know my body._" He whispered.

The color had drained from Bella's face. Then James brought his other hand toward Bella and placed it on her knee. "Don't be nervous Bella, let's get to know each other." He started to slide his hand up her thigh, under her dress. Bella gasped and abruptly stood up. That's when I stepped in.

"Is there a problem in here?" I asked in an authoritative voice, staring directly into James' eyes. My hands were closed into fists at my sides.

"Not at all. Bella and I were just getting to know each other before filming started." He said with a smirk.

Don't...make...a scene, I thought to myself. I was struggling immensely, trying to fight the urge to punch the fucking smirk off that asshole's face. I turned toward Bella. "Is there anything I can do for you Isabella?" I asked her in my most professional tone.

She looked as if she was about to cry. She shook her head then muttered, "Excuse me, I need to go talk to Rose." She slipped out of the room. James and I stood there alone.

"So how long have you worked for Bella?" James asked, trying to change the subject. I took a step toward him.

"Stop the bullshit. I know you were coming on to her." I said, my voice low and threatening.

"What's it to you?" He spat out, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"Oh trust me...you do not want to go there with me motherfucker." I said stepping right up to him and bringing my face within inches of his.

That's when Rose popped her head in. "James, could I see you for a moment?"

My eyes never left his as he stepped around me and walked out. I walked out and saw Bella standing by Irina. Bella was upset. I could tell by her face. I walked up to them.

"What's going on?" I asked.

Irina looked up at me, "Rose just fired that James guy. He made Bella feel uncomfortable."

I turned just in time to see Jacob escorting James out of the building.

I looked at Bella. She was tearing up. "I ruined everything!" She said, quickly swiping a tear off her cheek, "Now we'll have to postpone the shoot because Rose will have to hire another male lead!"

Irina put a hand on Bella's shoulder and started to talk to her in a whisper, trying to console her.

"God! I should have just toughened up and worked with the guy!" Bella said, aggravated with herself.

"No Bella." I said firmly. "I saw what was happening in there, he was harassing you."

We heard Rose call out for Irina behind us. "Irina, can I speak to you with the director for a moment?"

Irina nodded and walked over to them.

I leaned down to Bella, _"Sweetie, it's OK. It's better that he's gone."_ I whispered to her. God I wanted to hug her so badly and make her feel better.

"Maybe I was overreacting." Bella said quietly.

"No, you weren't. He was trying to trick you into letting him feel you up, and who knows what else." I said.

"_Edward," _She looked up at me with watery eyes and a pouty lip._ "I wish we were alone right now_." She said, her voice full of emotion.

_"Oh baby me too. Me too." _I said, closing my eyes.

Jacob came walking up. "Hey guys."

Rose came walking up right after him. "Will you three please come with me? We all need to talk to the director."

As we approached the director, Irina was walking up at the same time with Jasper and Emmett behind her.

Rose spoke, "OK, change of plans. Our male lead turned out to be a creep. He's gone, so now we're going to have to improvise. We don't have the time or budget to reschedule the whole shoot, so we're going to use one of you guys." She said looking at each one of us. "Gregory is going to make the final decision." Rose explained, turning to the director.

Gregory stepped forward and took off his bifocals. "Gentlemen, please line up."

Jasper interrupted, holding his finger up in the air, "Uh, I think I'm out of the running. I'm the brother."

The director nodded and shooed Jasper away. Jacob, Emmett, and I lined up. He walked back and forth, back and forth, hand on chin, looking up and down at each of us.

He stopped in front of Jacob. "Too big." He said, shooing him away. Jacob stepped aside. It was down to me and Emmett.

The whole studio was silent and the sound of Gregory's dress shoes against the floor echoed throughout the place. He tapped his pointer finger against his lips as he looked back and forth at us.

"You." He said, pointing at Emmett. "Report to wardrobe please." Then he turned and walked away.

Emmett's face lit up. "I'm gonna be on TV!" Our group started to laugh. He turned toward me and I smiled and slapped him a high five. Bella's face had relaxed and she had a big grin on her face now. Even Rose was smiling and shaking her head. Jasper and Jacob each slapped him a high-five too.

Bella came running up to Emmett and playfully started punching him. "You ready to play_ lovers!_" She said, over-exaggerating the last word.

"Belllllls! You're gonna make me blush!" Emmett teased, batting her hands away.

Everyone got quite the kick out of the new arrangement, including me. Emmett was going to eat this up, and I was going to enjoy watching his sorry-ass acting abilities. How on Earth they were going to pull off playing lovers was beyond me. These two were practically siblings.

Jasper and Jacob went back up to guard the front door area and I continued my laps around the inside of the building. I could only catch glimpses of Bella and Emmett filming since I had to focus on watching the exits and ensuring the building was safe and secure.

The few scenes I could watch, Emmett looked like a scared puppy. He had to stand behind Bella and wrap his arms around her. I heard the director telling him to bring his face down to her neck.

"Mr. Emmett, please focus on making your face softer." The director called out. "You are supposed to be in love with her, not afraid of her. Now, bring your face down beside her neck, place your chin on her shoulder. Hug her from behind. _You are in love!_" He said the last part with enthusiasm, throwing his hand up in the air.

Emmett's face was priceless, he was so out of his comfort zone. Bella looked as if she was holding back laughter the entire time, but as soon as the director called 'action', she was focused, compliant, and looked like a complete natural in front of the camera. What a professional. She was incredible at everything she did.

After lunch, Jasper took the inside of the building and I joined Jacob at the front doors.

"How has it been?" I asked Jacob.

"Not too exciting. We had a couple of girls try to sneak in. Saw a guy hovering around the corner earlier, keeping an eye out for him. 30's, brown hair, about 6 foot, wearing a gray polo shirt."

We chatted for a while and laughed about Emmett's awkwardness with filming so close to Bella. Then a guy came walking up to the doors. He must have been about 40 and had a thick beard and untamed curly brown hair. He wore a white t-shirt and tan cargo shorts.

"Can we help you?" Jacob asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I'm with the caterers. I'm just coming in to check the food."

I hadn't recognized him from inside.

"We need to see your employee ID." I said, blocking the entrance.

The guy looked at the ground. "I must have left it inside."

I stared at him. "What's the name of the catering company?" I knew it was a place called _Food Perfected_ because it was embroidered on the tablecloths.

He stared blankly at me, then suddenly burst forward and tried to run around me to get inside. Jacob and I both lunged for him and knocked him to the ground. Jacob knelt in between his shoulder blades, pinning him to the ground and I pulled his arms behind his back.

Once I had his hands secure, Jacob moved off of him and I yanked him up off the ground. I roughly moved him down the sidewalk a few feet. Right before I released him, I got right in his face and said, _"If I see your face again, you'll be picking your fucking teeth up off the pavement_." I shoved him and let go, and he hurried away.

I walked back shaking my head. "What the fuck do these people think they're going to do if they get inside?" I said to Jacob, extremely aggravated.

"I don't know man. There are some sick and obsessed people out there. Look at the psycho who got into her hotel room. He thought he was going to...'start a new life with her' or some shit like that." Jacob said shaking his head.

"One of these days I'm going to seriously fucking hurt someone. Bella shouldn't have to deal with some of this demented shit." I muttered, taking my place back beside Jacob.

I would do anything for Bella. I would fucking kill somebody if I had to. I would never let anybody hurt her.

By the time they wrapped shooting for the day, it was nearly 11:00 PM. Emmett, Bella, and I sauntered lazily into our dark apartment and headed straight to our bedrooms.

"Geez Edward," Emmett started, "I didn't know being Bella's boyfriend was so tiring. Is this how you feel at the end of every day?" He said as we all headed down the hallway.

Bella turned and playfully shoved Emmett. He tumbled through the doorway and into his room chuckling. "G'night guys!"

"Goodnight Emmett!" Bella and I said humorously at the same time. We walked into our room smiling.

Bella dropped down onto the bed with a sigh. "What a long day."

"One down, two more to go." I said dropping down beside her.

She turned onto her side and looked at me. "Thank you Edward."

"For what sweetie?" I asked, rolling over to face her.

"For being there when that jerk tried to...touch me." She said, referring to James.

_"No need to thank me."_ I whispered, brushing my fingers along her cheek. _"I love you and I would never let anyone hurt you_."

A moment later, we started to undress for bed. I crawled into bed in my boxers and watched Bella strip down to a little white tank-top and panties.

As tired as I was, it still turned me on to see her in that thin little tank with her nipples showing through and her ass cheeks peeking out from behind those little panties. She clicked the light off and lay down in bed on her side. I scooted up close behind her, spooning her. Great. The feel of her ass pressing against my groin was making me even harder.

I knew she had to be exhausted and I didn't want her to notice my rock hard erection, so I backed away a couple of inches.

She whimpered a little and looked over her shoulder in the darkness._ "No, come back."_ She said with such sweet innocence. I couldn't resist. I scooted back up against her. As soon as she felt my hardness pressed into her, she looked over her shoulder at me again, but didn't say a word. She found my lips in the darkness and we kissed slowly. She rolled over onto her back and crossed her arms in front of her, grabbing her tank-top and pulling it off.

_"Bella..."_ I whispered, placing my hand softly on her stomach, _"Aren't you tired sweetie? You had a long day and we have two more ahead of us."_

As much as I wanted it, _and fuck did I want it_, I didn't want her to feel like she had to respond to me just because my dick had a mind of its own.

She placed her hand over my hand and started to slide it down her stomach, over her panties.

_"I don't care if I'm tired." _She breathed, slipping my hand beneath her panties. "_I want to make love Edward."_

We pulled her panties off together and I pushed my boxers down my hips. She turned back on her side so that we were spooning again and my chest was flush up against her bare back. I guided my dick down and across her perfect ass and in between her thighs, she parted them a little for me. I found her opening, placed my mouth on her neck, and pushed into her. She let out a soft moan, then relaxed into me, tilting her head back. I wrapped my arm around the front of her and rested my hand in between her breasts. My face was still in her neck and I inhaled her.

We laid there quietly in the darkness. I slowly moved inside of her, occasionally placing a soft kiss along her neck and shoulder.

_"I love you Edward. I never want to be without you."_ Bella whispered, bringing her hand over my hand on her chest and clutching me to her.

_"I love you too Bella. I'm not going anywhere. I'll always be yours."_ I whispered back into her ear.

**Chapter end notes: Did I surprise you? Did you think the director would choose Edward? Hehehe! What did you think about all of it? Leave me a review...one word, short, long, anything! I can't believe I'm almost to 600 reviews. You guys are a-maz-ing! **


	18. Chapter 18

Guarding Isabella

_Disclaimer:__All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

AH: All Human

_Rated: M  
><em>

Summary: Edward and Jacob are hired as professional bodyguards for the "2011 Isabella US Tour." What will happen when 'professional' suddenly turns 'personal' and feelings start to develop between the soft-spoken superstar and her new bodyguards?

***Check out my photo banner for GI, made by SoapyMayhem. Copy and paste ****http:/i1218 . photobucket . com/albums/dd404/Lindsay520/1guardingisbl2 . png**** (remove spaces) or visit my profile for a direct link.**

**Chapter notes: An actual picture of Bar Delux in Hollyywood, copy and paste (remove spaces) or visit my profile for a direct link.**  
>http:i1218 . photobucket . com/albums/dd404/Lindsay520/1 . jpg

**Chapter song(s):  
>Taproot "Promise"<br>Secondhand Serenade "The World Turns"**

"That's a wrap!" Bella called out through the director's megaphone Friday evening. The whole place started to applaud and Bella gave the director a hug with a big smile. The director turned and shook Emmett's hand. After three full days, the shoot was complete and the footage would be sent off to editing.

Crew members started to strike the set and Bella gave me a quick smile before she headed off to her dressing room to change out of her dress and back into her street clothes.

My phone vibrated and I read a group text from Rose:

_"Celebratory drinks at Bar Delux tonight."_

Bar Delux was a velvet rope Hollywood hot spot. It was a posh lounge setting with pricey drinks and a strict dress code. I had been there a couple of times since moving to LA. I furrowed my brow wondering if Bella would really want to go there.

Everyone headed back to their apartments to change clothes for going out. When we got inside, Emmett went to his room to change and I wrapped my arms around Bella. She had been quiet on the ride back.

"What's on your mind love?" I asked her, resting my cheek on the top of her head. I felt her sigh.

"I wish Rose would have picked someplace less crazy. This place is not really my scene and there are always paparazzi."

"So tell her you want to go somewhere else. You're the boss." I said, slipping my hands into the back pockets of her jeans.

"I don't want to be a pain. I'll just go and deal with it." She said, looking up at me.

"Bella," I started, "don't be afraid to tell people what you want. You'll make yourself miserable if you're constantly giving in to what everybody else wants. You've got such a kick-ass confidence on stage, you should use that off stage too." I said looking into her eyes and bringing my hand around to touch her cheek. I leaned down and kissed her tenderly.

"You're right. I'm going to really work on that. Let's just go there tonight since it's already been planned but I'll just tell Rose I'm leaving if it gets too crazy." She said, taking my hand and leading me down the hall.

We changed clothes and headed down to the lobby. Bella looked hot. She wore a form-fitting black dress with long sleeves. It had a strip of sheer black fabric across the middle which exposed just enough of her stomach to leave a little to the imagination. I thought it was sexy as hell and I felt privileged knowing that only I would get to see the rest of what lies beneath that sheer fabric later tonight.

Jasper wanted all four of us with Bella to escort her in and out of the building to avert paparazzi and fans. We met in the apartment lobby and climbed into the limo Irina had waiting for us out front. When we arrived, there were only a couple of photographers out front, but I knew there would be many more once we left since word would spread where Bella was.

We exited the limo and Emmett and I dealt with the photographers while Jasper obstructed a couple of fans that came scurrying up once they saw the limo pull up. Jacob helped Bella out of the car and started to lead her inside. He had his arm wrapped protectively around her and she had her face turned in toward his chest.

We all went inside and the manager led us to the private section he had roped off for our group. Rose and Alice were already there along with some guy I had never seen. Alice introduced him as Peter, her friend from beauty school. The guy wore more eyeliner than Alice and I was pretty sure he was wearing lip-gloss too. We said hello and took our seats. The place had luxurious chaise seats and plush leather chairs with a table in between for drinks. Long, dramatic crystal chandeliers hung above each table.

Bella sat beside Rose on a chaise and I sat in a chair across from her. Jacob took the chair next to me and Emmett stood beside Bella. Moments later, the director, Gregory walked in with his assistant. Rose gave them a friendly wave and they joined us. Apparently people were bringing guests.

Just as the thought crossed my mind, I turned to see Irina walk in with...yep, her sister Tanya. Great.

"Oh my God Edward!" She squealed running up to me with arms out-stretched. "It's been too long!" She threw her arms around my neck and squeezed.

"Hi Tanya." I said, patting her back. I didn't stand up. Tanya stood there in a skin-tight, black minidress with a plunging neckline and sky-high black stilettos. Sadly, she couldn't pull of classy.

Irina smiled at me. "I thought you two would like to catch up."

Irina introduced everyone to Tanya and when she got to Bella, Tanya ran over to sit beside her and I listened to her gush about how big of a fan she was.

"Oh honey, you have no idea, I might be your biggest fan!" Tanya went on and on to talk about herself for the next 15 minutes. She kept calling Bella 'honey' and I noticed Bella cringe every time she used that word. Bella was being polite but I could tell she was annoyed.

"Well," Tanya started, "I better go steal Edward away so that we can catch up. I know he's just dying to talk to me and see what I've been up to since we last dated. See you later Isabella!"

Tanya walked up to me and held out her hand. I didn't take it.

"Yes Tanya?" I asked, looking up at her from my seat.

"Let's go catch up silly!" She said wiggling her fingers, waiting for me to take her hand.

"I'm kind of working right now Tanya, sorry."

"Working?"

"Yes. I'm guarding Isabella." I said seriously.

Tanya turned to look at Bella. "She looks fine to me. Besides, doesn't she have, like, 10 other bodyguards that can watch her?"

I stared at Tanya. "No I'm afraid she does not."

"Well fine," Tanya sighed, "I'll be back in a minute and we'll catch up right here." She turned toward Jacob. "Hi there," she said flirtatiously, "could I steal your seat when I get back?"

Jacob's attention was a few seats down, on Irina. "Yeah yeah, sure." He said, without even looking up at Tanya. Tanya walked off and I met Bella's eyes. She gave me a grin and an eye-roll. I stifled a chuckle and watched her cross her legs and take another sip of her drink. So damn sexy. A minute later, Jacob stood up and started to head in Irina's direction.

Tanya came back a few minutes later holding what looked like a cosmopolitan and another drink with ice. She took Jacob's seat beside me.

"Edward, I couldn't remember if you liked your whiskey sweet or sour so I got you sweet, like you." She said with a wink, holding the drink out to me.

"Oh, sorry Tanya, I'm on duty tonight, I'm not drinking."

Her shoulders slumped. "Are you serious?"

I nodded. She set the drink on the table in front of us. "OK fine. I'll have to drink it myself. When are you off duty anyway?"

"Whenever I get Isabella home safely." I answered, looking at Bella sitting across from us. God she was so pretty. She was looking off to the side but I knew she was listening.

"So Edward, have you heard? I've signed on with Ford Modeling." Tanya started to ramble and I pretended to listen as I looked around at everyone in our group.

I noticed Jacob had finally built up the courage to talk to Irina. Irina was laughing and I watched her lean forward and touch Jacob's arm. Dude was probably messing his pants. Emmett and Jasper were chatting with the video director. Rose, Alice, and the assistant were talking energetically, and Alice's friend Peter came walking up with a waitress following close behind holding a tray of shots.

Everyone but us guards took a shot and within the next half-hour, laughter and loud conversation filled the air as everyone started to loosen up. Tanya was still babbling away next to me, now half-way through the whiskey drink.

Bella had struck up a conversation with Peter, who sat with one leg crossed over the other, holding a bright green martini. I noticed Bella's cheeks turning pink. My eyes moved over her body and I got lost in my own little world admiring her beauty. She had no idea how gorgeous she was sitting there. I took in every inch of her body, imagining what each part felt like under my hands.

I snapped out of it when I felt a hand on my leg. I turned to see Tanya leaning in close to me.

"...well, what do you say?" She whispered, giving me a seductive smile.

"What?" I asked. I hadn't heard a single word she had said this entire time.

"I said, after you get off duty tonight, you should come over to my place and we can catch up a little more...if you know what I mean." She murmured, raising one of her eyebrows suggestively.

I moved my leg and her hand lost contact. "Don't think so."

"Edwaaard." She whined, "Why not? I've missed you." She lowered her voice, _"And we're both looking so damn good tonight." _She said, leaning in closer to me.

I turned my face in the other direction. That's when I saw Bella stand up. I stood up in response to her.

"Isabella?" I said, ready to assist. Jasper noticed and stood up as well.

She looked at me. "I could really use to stretch my legs."

Jasper gestured for Emmett and Jacob to come forward and all four of us led Bella out of our private section, leaving Tanya scowling behind us. The place was packed outside of our little area. Solid bodies, and loud. Between the music and chatter, you had to shout to hear each other. We walked Bella across the building, stopping every few minutes so she could pause and pose for a fan picture. We reached the front of the place and came to a stop along a wall of windows. Bella leaned her back up against one. Emmett and I stood in front of her and Jacob and Jasper on each side.

"How are you doing Bells?" Jasper called out over the noise.

"Fine. This place is packed. I might be ready to go soon."

"Whenever you're ready, just tell us when." Jasper said with a nod. People were walking past, waving and calling her name out. She smiled and waved back. Suddenly, there was a loud crash and Bella jumped forward, startled, clutching onto my jacket tightly. I quickly wrapped my arm around her, holding her to my side.

Jasper spun around and we all saw a wet streak sliding down the outside of the window. He stepped forward and looked through the glass and down at the pavement.

"What the hell? Someone just threw a beer bottle at the window."

We all looked outside. The street was packed with passersby and a long line of people waiting to get into the bar. Jasper and Jacob stormed forward, heading for the doors. Emmett and I waited inside with Bella.

This was fucked up. Was someone targeting Bella? Who on Earth would want to hurt her? Probably another psychotic fan, it was ridiculous. She didn't need this bullshit. She doesn't deserve this.

We watched from the window as Jasper and Jacob spoke sternly to the door guard and scanned the crowd for the person who did it. They asked a few people if they saw who threw it but no one knew.

"Fuck this." Emmett said. "We're getting her out of here as soon as they're back." He said to me. I nodded, gathering Bella even closer to my side. She looked up at me with worried eyes.

_"Don't worry baby, I'm here with you."_ I said to her, so only she could hear me. She nodded slowly.

The guys came back inside and we led Bella back to our private section. Tanya was sitting beside her sister now, an empty martini glass in her hand, leaning her head on Irina's shoulder with a pouty look on her face. Jasper walked up to Irina and asked her to call the limo in to pick us up. Irina nodded and did as she was told. A few minutes later, she came walking up to me.

"Edward, can I talk to you for a minute?" She pulled me off to the side. "Hey, I'm really sorry for inviting Tanya. I thought you two would have fun catching up, but obviously she was more of a pest than good company." She said, glancing over at Tanya who was now sitting, shoulders slumped, arms crossed across her chest, pouting like a stubborn child. "She's been whining my ear off since you walked off. I didn't mean to annoy you by inviting her."

"Hey no problem, don't worry about it." I said.

"Cool. Hey, I have a question for you, but...please keep it between us OK?" She said, keeping her voice quiet.

"Sure, what's up?"

"Um...is Jacob, uh...available?"

I had to force back a grin. "Yes he is."

"OK, and, um...what apartment number is he in?"

Oh wow. "He's in 303. He rooms with Jasper."

"Great, thanks Edward." Irina said with a smile. She turned and walked back to sit next to her sister.

The rest of the group stayed and the five of us started to walk out of our section.

"Edward wait!" I heard Tanya call out. I turned to see Tanya stumbling up to me. "Put your number into my cell, I want to call you sometime." She slurred, holding her phone out to me.

Bella stepped forward. "Oh, I'll put his number in there for you." She said sweetly, taking the phone out of Tanya's hands. I watched over Bella's shoulder as she typed in 10 totally random numbers, followed by _In your dreams bitch_ as the contact name. She saved it and clicked back to the main menu. "Here you go _honey_."

Damn, I think I just got hard.

"You're the absolute best Isabella! Thank you honey! Edward, I'll call you OK?"

I gave her a weak smile and we headed for the doors.

"Alright guys," Jasper said, giving us each a warning glance as we approached the doors, "let's do this."

When we stepped outside, it was like a shark feeding frenzy. The photographers were swarming. They were ruthless, absolutely vicious. They didn't care who they knocked over or what boundaries they were crossing, they just wanted their shots.

Jacob literally opened his jacket and tucked Bella inside. He wrapped both his huge arms around her and led her through the ridiculous mob, keeping her completely hidden. I walked directly beside her, Jasper behind, and Emmett in front. The flashing cameras were blinding and the noise was intense. They were screaming her name and rushing forward. I was blocking people left and right, shoving, and obstructing in any way I could. We were almost to the limo.

That's when I heard a scream. Some random woman off to my right started to cry, clutching her forehead.

"...who threw that?" She wailed. I saw a trickle of blood drip down her forehead and I immediately surveyed the crowd. We walked a few more steps when something came flying through the air and hit me in the shoulder. It was a small rock.

A second later, "Shit!" Jacob yelled, holding his hand over his eye. That's when we made it to the limo. The driver opened the door and Jacob helped Bella in. We all climbed in after and slammed the door.

As soon as that door closed, Bella was in front of Jacob. "Jacob, are you hurt? What happened? Please be OK, please don't be hurt!" She cried out in a panic.

"Bellie, I'm fine! Don't worry! It was just a little rock or something. It barely grazed me."

"You're bleeding!"

"Hardly at all. It's OK Bella, really."

I watched her panicking in front of me, knowing exactly what was going through her head. 'Somebody always gets hurt. She was causing more pain and destruction to everyone around her'...and there was nothing I could do about it. I could be comforting her right now, calming her down, clearing her mind, but no. I was stuck sitting in this seat across from her while she broke down. She needed me, and I was there, but I couldn't do anything.

"Jasper..." I said, still staring directly at Bella. My hands were balled into fists and my heart was racing. "Jasper..." I said again.

"What is it?" He asked, looking at me. Bella whipped around, her eyes wide with anxiety. Emmett and Jacob stared at me, their eyes almost as big as Bella's.

"Jasper...I..." I said, my eyes burning into Bella's. Very slowly and subtly, she shook her head no.

"Spit it out already!" Jasper said, getting agitated.

"I...think...we need to...keep Bella away from crowds for a while." I said, almost unable to make a sentence.

"Yeah, you just took the words from my mouth." Jasper said, agreeing with me.

No, I'm certain I did not just take the words from your mouth, I thought to myself.

When we arrived back at the apartments and were safely in the confides of our bedroom, I dropped to my knees in front of Bella and wrapped my arms around her waist.

"We need...to tell him." I said pressing my cheek against the sheer dress fabric.

"I'm scared Edward!" She cried, sinking down to the floor with me.

_"Why_ are you scared sweetie?" I asked, taking her face in my hands. Her cheeks were wet from crying.

"He_ trusts_ you Edward! When he finds out we've been lying to him, he's going to lose that trust and he'll never forgive us! If I tell him 'tough shit', he's going to make this tour hell!"

"You don't know that." I said, pulling her to me.

She leaned her forehead on my shoulder and let the tears fall. "Yes I do." She sobbed, her shoulders shaking. I squeezed her tight up against me. "He's not just going to sit back and pretend not to notice."

"Maybe not, but he'll learn to accept it." I said, keeping my voice steady even thought I was just as distraught and upset by the whole situation.

"I don't know if he will. I don't know if he _can_." She said lifting her face up in front of mine. "After Michael, I don't know if he can accept _anyone_ I want to be with." She said softly.

"Bella..." I said quietly, "sooner or later he is going to find out. We need to tell him or it's only going to get harder." I told her, wiping the tears from her cheeks. "Let's tell him this week." I said.

"How...how about this month." She said, sniffling.

"Let's meet halfway. How about right before the tour starts up again. That's just over 2 weeks." I said.

Bella nodded her head. "OK," she said with a slight shudder, "it's a deal."

**Chapter end notes: Title drop within story! Catch it? *Pats self on back* BTW, Bar Delux is a real bar in Hollywood, frequented by our very own Ashley Greene. **

**I'm going to be completely honest...I wasn't planning on bringing Tanya into the story, but all of your reviews motivated me to write her in! We'll call her appearance a cameo. I've got other twists and turns coming up for our main characters!**

**Teaser to chapter 19 on my Twitter page Lindsay520**


	19. Chapter 19

Guarding Isabella

_Disclaimer:__All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

AH: All Human

_Rated: M  
><em>

Summary: Edward and Jacob are hired as professional bodyguards for the "2011 Isabella US Tour." What will happen when 'professional' suddenly turns 'personal' and feelings start to develop between the soft-spoken superstar and her new bodyguards?

***Check out my photo banner for GI, made by SoapyMayhem. Copy and paste ****http:/i1218 . photobucket . com/albums/dd404/Lindsay520/1guardingisbl2 . png**** (remove spaces) or visit my profile for a direct link.**

**Yes, I know there are a lot of chapter songs for this chap, but each and every one of them are just amazing with this chapter. You should youtube them!**

**Chapter songs:  
>Secondhand Serenade "A Twist in My Story"<br>Rihanna "California King Bed"  
>Secondhand Serenade "Take Me With You"<br>Jason Walker (ft Molly Reed) "Down" (MUST be the one featuring Molly Reed)**

**Chapter notes: OK...don't be nervous when you start to read this chapter...I promise, you can trust me! **

I am not a man who cries. The last time I remembered crying, I was probably about 8 years old. It's not that I lack sensitivity or that I fear it will show weakness. It's just that I always had the strength to keep it inside and display my emotion in words or actions instead. Since age 8, there just hasn't been a single thing in my life to break that barrier. Sure I've experienced extreme sadness and incredible happiness throughout the years, but no particular situation has ever left me so lost for words or actions to cause me to break down to the one and only thing there was left to do...cry.

So as I sit here on this tour bus, with tears rolling down my face, I am reflecting back upon the last 3 weeks that just flew by me in an ambiguous blur.

The last two weeks of the promotional break were relaxing, calm, and a well-deserved break for everyone. Between the photoshoot, talk-show, radio show, music video shoot, public outings, parties, and psychotic fans, Bella was in need of some peace and quiet. The last two weeks were time to un-wind and rest before the bus tour started back up.

I recalled one particular day where Emmett decided to take a little trip across state to visit his parents, leaving Bella and I all alone in the apartment. We made love all day and all night, on every inch of every surface in the place (excluding Emmett's room). On other days, we just lied in bed all day long, talking, learning about each others families, childhoods, past relationships, expressing our feelings for each other, discussing our future, and making a commitment that our futures would absolutely, without a doubt, forever include each other. I knew I wanted to marry Bella. There was no question about that. I tread lightly on that topic for now since I knew this talk would come a little later on in our relationship. Bella knew that, we had an understanding with each other. We would be together forever.

During this time, Jacob and Irina were inseparable. It was almost sickening. They were attached at the hip. I was happy for them though. We all had somebody now. Jacob and Irina didn't announce their relationship, but they didn't hide it either. One morning in the gym, while all four of us guys were running on the treadmills, I overheard Jasper giving Jacob a stern talking-to.

"Look Jacob, about you and Irina." He was trying to keep his voice low. "I, uh, I know you don't _work_ closely with her, so I know it shouldn't affect either of your job responsibilities...but listen to me." His tone got very serious, "If you let this relationship distract you in any way from guarding Bella, I promise you I will fucking tear the living shit out of you and destroy your career as a bodyguard. _Nobody_ messes with my sister's life that way, _nobody._ Do you understand?"

"Yes sir, I understand." Jacob responded.

It was when the tour picked back up in Salt Lake city when I noticed Bella starting to act strangely. I assumed she was having a hard time preparing for the talk with Jasper. She was nervous, naturally. So was I. I told her to just focus on performing this week and we would have our talk with Jasper on Monday. She was a wreck the whole week. She was quiet, distant, and wanted to be alone a lot. I hated that she was stressing about it.

She performed in Phoenix on Friday, and Las Vegas on Saturday. After the Vegas show, we were in route to Portland. I sat in my bunk, surfing the Internet on my phone. We had Sunday off so I decided to plan a little surprise to take her mind off of Monday's discussion. I wanted to plan a romantic day full of surprises for my girl. Bella was in her room with the door closed. I texted her that I would join her after Jasper went to bed, but when I snuck in later, she was sound asleep. My poor girl. Between sneaking around, performing, fan chaos, and worrying over her brother, I knew she was exhausted.

I crawled into bed beside her in just my boxers, and carefully moved up close to her. I laid my head right beside her face on her pillow and noticed it was damp from her tears. My heart clenched in my chest. She was closed away in her room, all by herself, crying herself to sleep while I was just a few feet away. I just wanted to absorb every last ounce of anxiety inside of her so that she wouldn't have to feel it anymore. I wanted to feel it _for_ her so she didn't have to. I never wanted her to feel any sadness, worry, or pain. If I could, I would take it all for her.

I leaned my face forward and kissed her gently on the forehead. She stirred and opened her eyes.

_"Oh, baby, I didn't mean to wake you." _I whispered, running the back of my fingers along her tear-streaked cheek. She didn't say anything, just looked solemnly into my eyes. _"Get some rest love. I've got a fun day planned for us tomorrow." _I said with a coy grin. I closed my eyes to sleep but opened them again when I felt Bella shift around. She leaned up on her elbow and looked down at me.

I stared back at her. _"What is it sweetie?" _I asked. She didn't say anything, just looked into my eyes. Then she leaned down and found my lips, kissing me deeply and desperately. I reciprocated, moving my mouth against hers in slow, lingering movements, and soon we were pulling clothing off and hands were sliding over bodies. Oh God, we hadn't made love all week and I was aching for her.

I rolled on top of her, kneeling between her legs, and started to kiss down her neck. Her hands were sliding all over my back and her breathing was growing rapid. I placed slow, open-mouthed kisses over each of her breasts and continued to trail my lips lower. I brought my hand up and slid my palm lightly down her ribcage, my mouth following close behind. She was beginning to gasp. I touched her hips with both my hands and kissed over her belly-button and moved down lower over her flat stomach. I stopped when I heard a sob escape her lips.

I looked up to see two tears trickle out of the corners of her closed eyes. I quickly moved up her body and hovered over her.

_"Baby what's wrong? Why are you crying?" _I asked with uncertainty. She wouldn't open her eyes and she didn't answer me. She just wrapped her arms tightly around my neck and cried softly for several minutes.

At last, she spoke. _"Edward..."_ She said between shaky breaths, "_...promise me you'll love me forever. Promise me you'll love me through anything."_

I lifted my face and looked at her. She had finally opened her eyes. "Bella..." I said, my eyes burning into hers, "nothing in this world could tear me away from you. I will never stop loving you. I love you more and more each day and nothing, _nothing_ will ever change that. That's a promise, and I will spend the rest of my life proving it to you."

She blinked tears away, then brought her hand up to my face and touched my cheek. I closed my eyes and leaned into her touch. After a moment, she brought her other hand up to my face and gently pulled my face back down to hers. We kissed tenderly and then I felt her hands moving down my body. I shuddered as her fingertips grazed along my sides and down over my hips. I felt her open her legs a little wider and bend her knees up around my hips. She wanted to continue.

I kissed her more deeply and ran my hand up her thigh, then slowly started to lower down between her legs. I moaned softly when I felt her hand wrap around me and start to guide me toward her center. I slid inside of her warmth and held very still, just feeling the total bliss of being inside of her. I realized I was holding my breath and I let it out in a slow whoosh. I still hadn't moved. I leaned my forehead up against hers and closed my eyes. There we laid, face to face, chest to chest, if it were possible to get any closer to her, I would. I worshiped this girl.

At last, I started to move inside of her. I slowly started to pull out, feeling every fraction of every inch of her body sheathed around me. I started to push back in and I heard her take a quivery breath. She tightened her grip around my neck and raised her hips a few inches, pushing against me to match my movement.

I pushed my fists into the mattress and started to thrust against her. She ran her hands up my back, over my shoulders, up my neck, and into my hair. I pulled my face up an inch and looked at her face. She had her eyes closed and her mouth slightly parted. I kissed her mouth and she brought her tongue out to meet mine. After several minutes, I wrapped an arm around her back and rolled us.

I grabbed her hips and started to lift her up and down on top of me. She reached forward and grabbed onto the headboard, using it as leverage to keep our momentum steady. I eyed her breasts jiggling directly above my face and let out a low groan. I brought my hand up and touched them and heard her whimper.

I stopped thrusting for a second and bent up at my waist. I held Bella while she shifted around and wrapped each of her legs around my hips. We sat in opposite directions, arms wrapped around each other, moving and grinding our hips into one another. Bella was kissing me and started to trail her lips across my cheek and down my jaw, she reached my neck and kissed and sucked beneath my ear.

_"Jesus Bella, you drive me crazy."_ I moaned out. She continued to kiss and nibble along my neck. I let my head fall back. Her breath on my skin felt like heaven. She continued to move up and down on my lap, her breasts sliding up and down on my chest. I slid my hands down her back and over her ass. I grabbed onto her ass and she gasped, pressing her chest into mine.

_"Oh God Edward, I need you so badly."_ She whimpered out, hugging me tightly around the neck.

_"You have me. I love you so much Bella, so so much." _I said, trailing my nose across her cheek and devouring her mouth. We sunk back down onto the bed and I rolled back on top of her. The pace of my thrusting increased and Bella moved her hand down to touch herself.

_"No baby, let me."_ I said, bringing my hand down in between us. Bella raised her hands up above her head and grabbed the pillow. I shifted my weight onto my elbow and used my other hand to find her clit. I started to rub it with two fingers and applied a little more pressure each time I thrust into her. I heard her groan and felt her lift her legs up higher around me.

_"Yes, oh yes..." _She started to gasp.

_"Oh my God Bella." _I said, squeezing my eyes closed. So fucking close, _"Oh...oh..."_

She clamped her legs around my hips and cried out in climax and I came with a long throaty groan, _"Oh yeeeeah."_ My cock was throbbing vigorously inside of her, _"Oh fuuuuck." _Still going. Oh God.

Finally, when the pulsing eventually slowed, I opened my eyes. Bella was arched up off the bed with the pillow still closed tightly between her fists. She had her face turned to the side with her mouth frozen open and her eyes closed. She let out a long, slow breath of air and slowly lowered back down to the bed. I went with her, settling my body gently on top of hers.

We laid in silence for several minutes. Bella rubbed my back softly with her fingertips. After a while, the rubbing slowed and stopped. I lifted my face from her neck and smiled when I saw she had fallen asleep. So amazingly beautiful, I couldn't believe she was mine.

The next morning, as the rest of the crew settled into the private grounds where we would have a double bus-day in Portland, the guys covered for Bella and me by telling Jasper that I offered to take Bella out to run some errands.

For breakfast, I took Bella to a charming little place called the Tin Shed Garden Café. We had fun laughing at the clever meal names listed on the menu. Bella ordered a sweet potato french toast meal called "Everything Nice" and I ordered a biscuits and gravy meal called "Everything Naughty". It was a quiet morning. Nobody in the restaurant recognized Bella and we enjoyed our breakfast in peace with no fan interruptions. After we ate, I ordered us each a cup of coffee to-go. Something to keep us warm since our next stop would be spent outdoors and it was only about 50 degrees outside.

Bella was astounded by the next stop of our day. The Lan Su Chinese Garden. Even in February, it was a year-round wonder with bridges, pavilions, and covered walkways. The landscaping was still beautiful in the cool weather and the lake it surrounded was stunning. The grounds were semi-crowded with guests, but Bella and I found an undisturbed little bridge toward the back of the garden where we stood and overlooked the serene lake.

I stood behind Bella and watched her looking out at the lake. She was holding the bridge rail and gazing out over the sparkly water. Nobody was around so I stepped up behind her and wrapped my arms around her. She leaned back into me and sighed.

"Edward, this is absolutely beautiful. Thank you for taking me here." She said quietly, leaning her head back on my shoulder.

"You're welcome love. The day's not over yet. I've got lots more planned." I said leaning in to kiss her cheek. She turned over her shoulder and found my mouth. We kissed, long and lingering, but quickly pulled apart when we heard people approaching the bridge. I took a step back, creating more distance between us. It was a group of young women and a couple of little ones.

"Oh my God! It _is_ her!"

"Isabella!"

"Oh my God, can we get a picture with you?"

The women were giddy and star-struck as they approached her. She smiled and agreed to a picture. They all stood on the bridge with Bella in the middle and the children in front, and I snapped a picture with each of their cameras.

"Thank you Isabella!"

"We love your new single! Just amazing!"

"We hope you enjoy Portland!"

They said goodbye and continued on their way. Bella and I made our way through the garden and found the teahouse where various light snacks were served along with a variety of traditional teas. Bella was smiling the entire time and I couldn't help but smile seeing her so happy. I hoped tomorrow's talk was the last thing on her mind.

By the time we left the Garden it was lunch time and I took Bella to a place called Kenny & Zuke's. Bella had a tuna melt and I had the best corned beef sandwich I'd ever tasted. I bought us each a coconut macaroon dipped in chocolate for dessert and we hopped in a cab to go to our next stop.

"What's next?" Bella asked with a grin, turning to look at me in the backseat of the cab. I chuckled when I saw a smudge of chocolate on the corner of her lip. "What?" She asked.

I leaned forward as if to kiss her and murmured, "You've got a little chocolate, right..." I kissed the corner of her mouth, lightly grazing my tongue over the chocolate and cleaning it away, "...here."

She shuddered, then looked up at me with playful eyes. "I was saving it for later."

I smiled and grabbed her hands, pulling her close to me. "God I love you so much." I said quietly, placing a kiss on her forehead.

"I love you too." She said, wrapping her arms around my waist and leaning her head on my chest.

We arrived at the Portland Art Museum and spent nearly three hours walking through the exhibits. Only three of four people recognized her and she happily signed a couple of autographs and posed for a few pictures. As we admired all of the artwork, I loved watching Bella's enthusiasm when she saw something she liked. She was so genuine, so real. There was nothing fake about this girl and that's what was so amazing about her. It's what I fell in love with.

After the museum, I took her to dinner at a place called Castagna. She was worried that she was under-dressed but I had made reservations online last night and contacted the manager via email to ensure we had a private room so nobody would even see us. Dinner was delicious. I had the salmon and Bella had the duck. We talked about the tour and laughed about Jacob and Irina's hookup.

"I'm happy for him." Bella said, stirring sugar into her iced tea, referring to Jacob.

"I am too. Now we all have somebody." I said, taking a sip of my cocktail.

"What do you mean?" Bella asked looking up at me.

"Now everybody on the tour has someone to be with. Me and You, Jacob and Irina, Emmett and Rose, and Jasper and Alice."

Bella dropped her spoon into her glass with a loud clang. "What? Emmett and Rose...and Jasper and Alice?" Her mouth dropped open.

I guess I didn't realize Bella didn't know about the others. The guys knew about Jasper and Alice, and I knew about Emmett and Rose, but it wasn't known to everybody.

Well, I wasn't going to hide anything from Bella. "Yeah, I thought you knew that."

"No! I did not know that! I can't believe it! How long?" She asked, shocked.

"Emmett and Rose for the past 4 years..."

Bella slapped herself in the forehead. "You've _got_ to be kidding! How did I not know this? What about Jasper and Alice?"

"I'm not exactly sure how long, at least the past year or two."

Bella was shaking her head, her eyes wide. "I just...I just don't get why it has to be a big secret." She said, her voice getting softer.

"Well, I think everyone worries about the professional-personal boundaries crossing and causing a problem." I paused, but quickly re-directed the conversation, "Let's not talk about this now sweetie, let's just enjoy our date, OK?" I didn't want the topic to turn into "outing" our relationship to Jasper. Bella was in a terrific mood and I wanted her to stay that way. We would deal with all of that tomorrow. Today was our day to enjoy ourselves.

After dinner, we hopped back into a cab and I took her to our final stop of the day. When we pulled up, Bella turned to me with a confused look on her face.

"The art museum again?" She asked.

I held up a finger, "You'll see." I said with a big smile. I had the cab driver pull around to the northwest side of the building. The Whitsell Auditorium entrance had a huge banner draped across the entryway that said 28th Annual Reel Music Festival.

Bella's mouth fell open. "I've _heard_ about this!" She said with excitement.

As I bought our tickets, Bella grabbed a program and read aloud to me, "Reel Music, the Film Center's celebration of music on film, treats music lovers to some of music's most intriguing artists, both celebrated and little known, offering a filmic take on sounds, roots and personalities from bossa nova to indie rock."

I turned, tickets in hand, and Bella threw her arms around my neck. "This is going to be amazing! I'm so excited Edward!" She planted a kiss on my mouth then quickly let go, remembering that we were surrounded by people. A few individuals saw and grinned in our direction. I was smiling from ear to ear as we entered the auditorium.

I held Bella's hand during the screenings, and adored the way her face and eyes lit up every time she saw something especially interesting. When the lights came up after the final film, Bella sat back in her seat with a content sigh. We waited until every last person had exited the auditorium. She stood up, but I took her hand and pulled her down onto my lap. We made out in the empty auditorium like a couple of teenagers until we heard a door open and saw a janitor walk in.

"Sorry folks, closing up now." The old man said, ushering us out.

It was midnight. As we climbed into the cab to head back to the bus lot, I pulled out my phone to find eight missed calls and six missed text messages. I read through the texts.

From Jasper 9:00 PM _"Where are you and Bella?"_

From Emmett 9:15 PM _"Jasper's getting pissed. He wants to know what errands you're running so late"_

From Jasper 10:00 PM _"Where the fuck are you guys?"_

From Jacob 10:30 PM _"Em and I are trying to cover for you but you guys might want to get back here soon."_

From Emmett 11:00 PM _"Jasper's worried as hell. He's drinking now. I'm feeding him shots, trying to get him to pass out."_

From Jasper 11:30 PM _"Get her the fuck home asshole, where are you?" _

Shit. I quickly texted Emmett.

_"On our way back, what's up with Jasper?"_

A second later, my phone chimed with a reply from Emmett.

_"Jasper passed out drunk about 5 minutes ago. You're lucky because he's pissed. Hope you can deal with him in the morning."_

I texted him back, _"Thanks for covering for us, tell Jacob thanks too."_

Bella dozed on my shoulder the entire cab ride back to the buses, unaware of the texts being exchanged. She walked sleepily inside and to her bedroom. Emmett and Jacob were on the couch with the TV playing softly. Irina had already gone to bed and Jasper was snoring loudly from his bunk.

"I hope you have a plan for tomorrow morning, because Jasper's going to want an explanation." Said Jacob.

I sighed, "We're telling him tomorrow." I said.

"Telling him?" Emmett asked.

"Yeah, telling him about us. It's time." I said running my fingers through my hair.

I said goodnight to the guys and headed for my bunk. I peeked into Bella's room and saw her sound asleep on top of her blankets with her clothes and shoes still on. I slipped inside, removed her shoes, and covered her up with the blankets. Then I quietly slipped back out and into my bunk. I decided Bella and I should sleep separately tonight due to the uncertainty with Jasper tomorrow morning.

I didn't know what to expect the next morning when I woke up. I pulled my curtain back and looked around. Emmett was making himself a bowl of cereal. Jacob and Irina were sitting on the couch with cups of coffee watching TV. Bella's bedroom door was still closed...and I didn't see Jasper anywhere. His bunk curtain was open but his bed was empty. The bathroom was unoccupied, and he wasn't in the kitchen or front room of the bus either. I hopped down from bed and walked toward the kitchen in my lounge pants. I said good morning to everyone and started to pour myself a cup of coffee.

Had I know what was about to happen next, I would have prepared myself a little better. Just as I sat down at the kitchen table with my coffee, the bus door flung open and Jasper came plowing through the entrance with Rose hurrying close behind him. He was holding something in his hands, two things.

He stormed up to me at the table and threw two magazines onto the surface in front of me. Star magazine and US Weekly. One had a picture of Bella and I standing on the bridge at the Lan Su Chinese Garden, with my arms wrapped around her and us kissing over her shoulder. The other was a shot of us standing in front of the ticket booth at the Whitsell Auditorium with Bella's arms wrapped around my neck, kissing me. The captions read "Isabella and her bodyguard, friends with benefits?" and "Isabella spotted heating things up...with her bodyguard."

Jasper glared at me with wild eyes, "Start talking." He demanded between gritted teeth. His hands were clenched into fists. Rose stared on with surprise and apprehension all over her face. The others all had their faces turned in our direction, waiting for what would happen next.

I stood up. "Jasper, there's something I need to tell you." I started.

"No shit?" He snapped, his eyes burning into mine.

"Bella and I have been seeing each other." I said, staying calm.

"How long?" Jasper spat out.

"A couple of months now. I'm sorry we didn't tell you sooner."

"You're sorry you didn't tell me sooner? _You're sorry you didn't tell me sooner?" _He yelled, his voice carrying throughout the entire bus. _"Because telling me sooner would have made it acceptable?"_ He roared, taking a step closer to me. _"I hired you to protect my sister...not fuck her behind my back!"_ He screamed coming at me.

He grabbed my neck and pinned me down on top of the kitchen table knocking the coffee cup onto the floor. It crashed and broke, coffee splattering everywhere. I heard the others all rush forward. Everyone was shouting, and grabbing at Jasper, trying to calm him down and talk some sense into him. I started to push him off of me but he had a strong grip.

Then, we heard a familiar voice from behind, "STOP!" Bella yelled.

Everyone fell silent and I saw a big pair of hands pull Jasper backward and off of me. I stood up to find Jacob holding Jasper back, his arms locked behind him.

Bella stood in the entryway of the kitchen, her eyes wide.

Jasper started to yell at her. _"How can you be so stupid Bella? He's taking advantage of you! What are you thinking?"_

Bella was shaking her head. "Jasper...I love him..." She said quietly.

Jasper started to struggle again, trying to break out of Jacob's grip. _"How can you love him? How? He can't be trusted Bella!" _

"No...you're wrong. I love him and I...I need him." Bella said, trying hard to hold back her tears.

_"You don't need this back-stabber! He's using you Bella! He's a liar and a deceiver, and he'll do that to you too! You don't need that!"_ He shouted, turning back to me,_ "You need to leave! You need to get the fuck off this tour and leave my sister alone if you know what's best for you!"_

"He's not going anywhere!" Bella said, raising her voice now.

_"You think you need him Bella but you don't!"_ Yelled Jasper.

"No..." Bella started, but Jasper interrupted her,

_"Why? Why do you think you need this lying piece of shit? Give me one good reason Bella!"_

_"Because I'm pregnant!"_ Bella screamed bursting into tears.

That's when I slipped out of reality for a moment. I was aware of things happening around me, but my vision was blurred and I was paralyzed with shock. I saw Jasper freeze.

Bella was beside me now and I heard her talking fast into my ear, but it sounded as if she were a mile away, _"...I just found out last week Edward...trying to find the best time to tell you...must have slipped up on my pill...I'm so sorry Edward..."_ She was sobbing.

Jasper closed his eyes and turned the other direction. Jacob released him and he ran off the bus without saying another word. The others just stood there, staring at the two of us. Rose had her hand covering her mouth.

Bella grabbed my hand, "Please, _say something_ Edward!" She cried.

I turned and looked into her beautiful, tearful eyes. The woman I love, the woman that is my entire existence, was carrying_ life_...that we created together. We were going to have a living, breathing symbol of our love for each other. I didn't think it was possible to love anything equally as much as I love Bella...but I was wrong. I couldn't even see it yet, but the love I felt for the baby that was forming inside of her, was just as powerful and strong as my love for her.

Nothing else mattered now. Not Jasper, not the tour, not anyone or anything around us. All that mattered now was Bella and our _baby_. I was going to be a father. We were going to be...parents. We would be a family and the happiness was so unimaginably overwhelming that there was only one thing left to do. I sat down, wrapped my arms around Bella's waist and pulled her to me. I pressed my cheek against her stomach and let the tears roll down my face.

**Chapter end notes: And...breathe. So, tell me your thoughts. What did you think after reading the beginning? How did you like their date in Portland? And what about Jasper and the reveal? Did you suspect it? Or was it a total shock?**


	20. Chapter 20

Guarding Isabella

_Disclaimer:__All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

AH: All Human

_Rated: M  
><em>

Summary: Edward and Jacob are hired as professional bodyguards for the "2011 Isabella US Tour." What will happen when 'professional' suddenly turns 'personal' and feelings start to develop between the soft-spoken superstar and her new bodyguards?

***Check out my photo banner for GI, made by SoapyMayhem. Copy and paste ****http:/i1218 . photobucket . com/albums/dd404/Lindsay520/1guardingisbl2 . png****(remove spaces) or visit my profile for a direct link.**

**Chapter notes: I strongly recommend youtubing the chapter songs. SO good! Alright, moving right along with chapter 20!**

**Chapter songs:**  
><strong>Ron Pope "A Drop in the Ocean"<strong>  
><strong>The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus "Your Guardian Angel"<strong>

Bella walked me to the back of the bus and into her room. We closed the door and stood clinging to each other, trembling.

I finally found my voice, "We're...we're having a baby Bella. We're going to be parents."

Bella looked up at me, her face soaked from crying and her shoulders still shaking. "Y...yes Edward."

I moved us over to the bed and sat down, pulling her down onto my lap. She leaned her head on my shoulder. I closed my eyes.

"Tell me how you feel sweetie." I said to her quietly.

She took a deep breath. "Scared, confused, worried...I feel a million different things. What about you. Are you mad?"

I squeezed her to me. "Of course I'm not mad Bella. I'm happier than you can even imagine."

She lifted her head and looked at me. "You are?"

"Yes...I am. We're having a baby. I love you Bella, and I already love this baby just as much as I love you. I don't care about anything else in the world except you and our baby." I said, touching her stomach. She covered my hand with hers and started to cry again.

"I love you so much Edward." She sobbed looking into my eyes.

We spent the next hour and a half talking about everything that had happened. Bella told me she wasn't feeling herself over the past two weeks. She was crampy, her breasts were sore, and she was suddenly very tired a lot. She was supposed to get her period last week Sunday. When it didn't come, she bought a pregnancy test at a gas station while the buses were filling up. It was positive.

I replayed it all in my head. If I had suspected anything, I would have seen the signs. She was quiet, distant, wanted to be alone, sleepy. I thought about two nights ago when we made love and how nervous and uneasy she seemed. I thought about dinner at Castagna last night and how she skipped the after-dinner cocktail and ordered an ice tea instead. I didn't have a clue. I thought she was acting different because she was nervous about telling Jasper about us.

Jasper. I couldn't even imagine what was going on in Jasper's head now. I wasn't going to be a coward, I knew I needed to talk to him.

Bella was nodding off in my arms, so I laid her down on the bed and covered her up. "Take a nap sweetie, I'll be back shortly."

I walked out of her room and down the bus aisle. Jacob and Emmett were sitting on the couch. They both looked up at me.

"I knew it man." Emmett said quietly.

"You knew what?" I asked.

"I knew she was late. I didn't know if I should tell you or not." He said, his tone serious.

"Oh, that's right." I said, remembering Emmett's freakish sixth sense.

Then Jacob spoke up. "What's up now?"

"Where's Jasper?" I said.

"Not sure. Don't bother looking on the girl's bus. Rose and Irina are on a conference call with the L.A. publicity team trying to iron out the magazine incident and they said no one should bother them under any circumstance."

I nodded my head and started to walk off the bus.

"Hey Edward?" Jacob called out. I stopped and turned. "Do you want one of us to come with you?"

In case he flips out and tries to attack me again? I thought to myself.

"No, I need to do this on my own. But thanks." I said, then walked off.

Various band and crew members were scattered around sitting in lawn chairs and turning hot dogs on little charcoal grills. A couple of them were tossing a frisbee back and forth. I didn't see Jasper outside. I passed the girl's bus. There was a sign written in sharpie marker taped to the door that said, _Meeting in progress, do not disturb._I approached the band bus. I stepped inside just as Bella's drummer was stepping out.

"Hey man, have you seen Jasper?" I asked.

"Uh yeah, I think he's in the back room." He said, pointing down the bus aisle.

I walked through the empty bus, passed the bunks and approached the closed door. I raised my fist to knock, but decided against it. I turned the doorknob and quietly walked in. The room was messy. One of the guitarists slept here and left laundry lying all over the bed and floor. A couple of music sheets were scattered over the unmade bed. Jasper sat in the corner at the desk. He was leaning forward, with his elbows on the desk and his fingertips on his forehead.

I quietly closed the door behind me and stood very still.

He didn't look up. In fact, he didn't move at all. But very very quietly, I heard, "You're not going anywhere Edward."

"Wh...what?" I asked, unsure if I had even heard him right.

"You're not going anywhere." He said. His tone was emotionless. I couldn't tell what he meant or where he was going with this conversation.

He kept going, "She needs you now. And the baby needs a father. My niece or nephew needs a father." He said monotonously, still not looking up or moving from his place at the desk. "If you're thinking about abandoning all of this and running away, you're wrong. You're staying. She needs you."

"I would never abandon her, ever. I love her. I love this baby. I'm not going anywhere." I said to him.

Finally, he lowered his hands down to the desk and slowly turned his head to look at me. "Do you have any idea how fucked up this is?"

I didn't know how to respond to that, so I was silent.

He kept going, staring at me "Do you have any idea how it feels to want to beat the living shit out of somebody and fucking kick their ass out of your life as far away as possible...but at the same time, want them to stick around so badly?"

I looked at the floor. "No." I responded, honestly. I didn't know how that felt. I couldn't imagine what Jasper was going through with all this. It was a lot to take in all in one day.

"I'm sorry." I said. He turned his head back away from me and stared at the desk again. I kept going, "I'm sorry you had to find out that way...about Bella and me. I'm sorry we went behind your back. And I'm sorry we both had to find out that way...about...Bella."

His fingers went back to his forehead.

"If it means anything," I said, "we were going to tell you about us today. We've both been a wreck over it, especially Bella. She loves you a lot and she's been scared to death about how you'd react."

Jasper turned back to look at me. "She was..._scared of me_?" He asked, shocked.

"She's been terrified. I can't even tell you how many nights she's cried just thinking about it."

He looked down, shaking his head. "I had no idea she felt that way."

"You're her big brother and you mean a lot to her." I paused and swallowed, "Neither of us meant to betray you Jasper. When you hired me, I had no idea what to expect. I certainly never joined the tour with the intention of hooking up with Bella. I'm a professional, you know that." I paused again, searching for the best words to use to describe it. "I know it sounds cliché and fucking cheesy as hell, but, you...you just can't help who you fall in love with. You should know that, you've got Alice."

Jasper's head shot up, "What?"

"Come on man. You and Alice. You can admit it. Everyone knows." I said.

Jasper stood up. "Everyone knows...about me and Alice?"

I nodded. "It's OK. Nobody thinks it's wrong or dishonest or unprofessional. It is what it is. You love each other and you want to be together. It's not hurting anything. Just like Jacob and Irina. Oh and while we're on the subject, Emmett and Rose are together too."

"What?" Jasper said, his mouth dropping open. "Jesus! Well screw the tour, we might as well be running a traveling dating service here!"

I couldn't help but laugh at his comment. I swear I saw Jasper's lips turn up into a grin but he quickly straightened his face again. We were silent for a few moments.

He sighed. "Look, I'm going to need some time here. I need to figure things out with the tour and with Bella. I just...need to wrap my head around all of this."

I nodded.

He wouldn't look at me. "I think it's best we keep our distance for a while." He said.

"OK." I said.

If that's what it would take to learn acceptance, then I'll give him all the space he needs. I turned to walk out of the room, then stopped, "Jasper?"

He didn't look up but waited for me to speak.

"Please, just talk to your sister." I said. "She needs your support now more than anything. Will you talk to her?"

He nodded slowly. I turned and walked out.

Later that afternoon, Bella had awoken from her nap and was sitting beside me on the couch with her head leaning on my shoulder. Rose came walking in and closed the door behind her. The others were all outside.

"Hi guys. I was hoping we could talk." Rose said.

"Of course." Bella said.

"Yes, take a seat." I told Rose.

She didn't sit down though. She walked up to us and took each of our hands into hers.

"First, I just want to say, I'm really happy for you guys. I know this isn't what anyone expected and I'm sure it's scary and overwhelming for the two of you, but everything is going to work out just fine. You are going to make an amazing mommy Bella, and I know you'll be a terrific dad Edward."

Bella stood up and hugged Rose. When she pulled away and sat back down, she was wiping tears from her eyes.

"I'm sorry...I've been extra emotional lately." Bella said with a chuckle.

"Hormones." Rose said sitting down with a big smile. "OK, let's talk work. First of all, Irina and I issued statements to both magazines. We don't think we have reason to believe your image will be affected negatively, but we're going to be watching the media closely for the next few weeks. Second, I'd like to discuss what the two of you would like to do moving forward. Would you like to go public with your relationship and the pregnancy? Or would you like to keep it as secret as possible?

"No more secrets!" Bella blurted out.

I sighed in relief.

Bella went on, "I can't stand hiding anymore."

The girls went on to talk about when and how to go public with the news. Bella was only a few weeks along in the pregnancy so she didn't want to announce it publicly until she was at least through her first trimester. Rose offered to work with Irina to come up with a positive, upbeat statement to release to the media and Bella agreed.

Rose looked at Bella with an endearing smile. "Bella, your fans are going to be thrilled. They love you so much and will support you through anything."

Bella smiled and sighed, leaning her head against my shoulder again.

We went on to discuss the tour plans. Bella's US tour was almost complete. She only had two more shows left before we headed over to the UK. Rose was almost finished finalizing the tour dates. Bella got very quiet and I could tell she was becoming distraught.

"Bella..." Rose started, coming over to sit beside her and taking her hand, "...here's what I think. We don't know how you'll be feeling over the next few weeks or months. I've heard your first trimester is usually the worst for morning sickness and fatigue. I think...I think it would be best to postpone the UK tour."

Bella brought her hand up to her forehead and sighed. "The fans are going to be so disappointed." She said sadly.

I spoke up, "But sweetie, they'll understand when they learn why."

"He's right." Rose agreed.

Bella knew it was best for her to focus on the pregnancy and her well-being. She wanted to finish these last two US shows, and then agreed to postpone the UK performances. I couldn't have been more relieved. With the recent chaos involving obsessive and crazy fans, it was the perfect time to take a little break and give the crazies time to back off and relax. Now, more than ever, Bella couldn't risk any more dangerous fan encounters.

Just as we were wrapping up our conversation with Rose, the door opened and Jasper walked up the stairs.

Rose stood up. "I'll be on my bus. If there's anything else I can do, let me know." She left.

"Bells, can we talk?" Jasper asked.

I started to stand up to give them time to talk alone, but Bella gripped my hand tightly.

_"Stay, please?"_ She whispered to me.

I had told Jasper I would give him some space. I wasn't sure how he would feel having me here while they talked. I looked over at Jasper, but to my surprise, Bella spoke up,

"Jasper, you can talk to both of us."

Her tone was firm. I was a little taken aback.

He didn't respond, just sighed and took a seat.

Bella entwined her fingers with mine and waited for her brother to say something. Several long seconds passed.

Finally, Jasper opened his mouth. "You know I love you no matter what right?" He asked, looking off to the side.

"And I love you too Jaz." Bella responded. It was very quiet again as the seconds ticked by.

Jasper spoke again, "Why did you hide it from me?" He asked, still staring off to the side.

"I was scared." Said Bella.

Jasper's eyebrows turned inward in a pained expression. I could tell that it hurt him.

Bella kept going, "I was scared you wouldn't approve. I was scared you would want to drive him away. Jasper, you would drive anybody away. You don't want me with anyone."

"That's not true!" Jasper said taking offense. Bella cut him off.

"Come on Jasper, in your eyes, no guy would ever be good enough for me. You know it and I know it."

Jasper was silent again.

Bella continued, "I just don't understand why. Don't you want me to be happy?"

"Of course I do." He said.

"Then why wouldn't you be happy for me? Do you want to know what I think sometimes Jaz?"

She paused and swallowed. "Sometimes I think all you care about is Isabella the superstar. You just want me to look pretty and sing so the money keeps flowing in...and you completely disregard Isabella, your sister, the one who deserves a life and somebody to love."

Jasper stood up and his hands flew into his hair. "Bella, that's not true! That's not true at all!" His face was devastated.

I couldn't believe Bella had the guts to say that to her brother. I was shocked and impressed all at the same time.

Jasper stood there speechless. I could tell he was scrambling to find something to say, but he was so taken aback by the truth behind her statement that he couldn't come up with anything. He slowly sat back down and leaned forward, burying his face in his hands.

He was getting choked up and fighting to stay in control of his emotions. It was a few minutes before he was ready to talk again. "Bella. I do want you to be happy. You're my baby sister and I want nothing more than for you to be happy. You have to understand though...after Michael..."

Bella interrupted him. "Edward is not Michael."

Jasper nodded. "I know. But after everything that happened with Michael...it's just so hard to trust anyone who wants to be close to you." He admitted.

"I understand," Bella said, "but you need to try. I love Edward. He treats me better than anyone has every treated me before. He understands me, he respects me, and regardless of what you think, he can be trusted. Edward _wanted _to tell you about us...it was me who held back. Edward makes me happy Jasper. Happier than I have ever been in my entire life. And if you want me to be happy, then you're going to have to learn to accept this."

Jasper stared at the floor.

"Jasper," Bella said, waiting for him to look up at meet her eyes. He did. "You're going to be an uncle." Bella said with a warm smile.

_"I'm going to be an uncle."_ Jasper said back very softy. His face was serious, but I saw a certain warmth in his eyes as he said that. "I love you Bella. I'll love you through anything. I want you to be happy and I support you no matter what. Just understand that I'm going to need some time and space to get used to all of this." He said. Bella understood.

"OK Jaz. If that's what you need, OK." Bella stood up and went over to where her brother sat. She knelt down on the floor in front of him and reached her arms out. He leaned forward and they hugged. They held each other for a while and I heard muffled whispers being exchanged between them but couldn't quite make out what they were saying. Bella was crying now and Jasper's face was hiding, buried in her shoulder.

My throat tightened and I closed my eyes knowing this was exactly what Bella needed.

**Chapter end notes: I think I speak for everyone when I say that these talks were WAY overdue. Thoughts? Emotions? Did I cover all bases? ****  
><strong>**If you listen to the chapter songs,**** "Your Guardian Angel" by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, it's not just perfect for this chapter, it is perfect for the WHOLE story. **_**Beautiful beautiful**_** song, youtube it! **


	21. Chapter 21

Guarding Isabella

_Disclaimer:__All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

AH: All Human

_Rated: M  
><em>

Summary: Edward and Jacob are hired as professional bodyguards for the "2011 Isabella US Tour." What will happen when 'professional' suddenly turns 'personal' and feelings start to develop between the soft-spoken superstar and her new bodyguards?

***Check out my photo banner for GI, made by SoapyMayhem. Copy and paste ****http:/i1218 . photobucket . com/albums/dd404/Lindsay520/1guardingisbl2 . png****(remove spaces) or visit my profile for a direct link.**

**Chapter notes: I never want it to end but...it's time. And last but not least, chapter 21...**

**Chapter songs:**  
><strong>One Republic "Better Life"<br>Jamestown Story "Dreaming Of This"**

The final two shows on the tour went smoothly. All four of us guards were agonizing over protecting Bella due to her fragile state and she got a kick out of how overly-cautious we were being. We wrapped the tour up in Seattle which Rose had planned perfectly since Washington was Bella's original home-state and she always ended her tours there so she could visit home afterward.

Bella brought me to her mother's house and we announced our news to her. Renee was shocked but thrilled. This would be her very first grand-child. I was worried what she would think about us getting pregnant without being married, but she revealed a little secret to us. Turns out she was 2 months pregnant with Jasper when she married Bella's father.

Bella had a luxurious apartment in Seattle and we stayed there for a few weeks while house-hunting. We found a charming three bedroom Bungalow in Port Angeles and moved in just as Bella was entering her second trimester. She had sailed through her first trimester with only a few bouts of morning sickness and some tiredness.

Bella gave Rose and Irina the OK to release the following statement to the media.

"Isabella is excited to announce that she and her boyfriend Edward Cullen are expecting a baby together later this Fall. This will be the first child for both Isabella and Edward and the couple are ecstatic to share this very happy news."

The outpouring of support was overwhelming. Fan mail and well wishes flooded Rose and Irina's publicity headquarters. Bella and I took a weekend trip to L.A. to visit the office and look through the gifts and cards. Bella was beaming the entire time.

Bella's second trimester was full of beef jerky cravings and aversions to laundry soap and fabric softener. I was on laundry duty for the next few months. Bella started to show around 5 months along. She was the most adorable pregnant woman I had ever seen. I couldn't get enough of her round little tummy forming. I touched it every chance I got and took a ridiculous amount of pictures every passing week.

In her third trimester, Bella was invited to pose in Pregnancy and Newborn magazine and American Baby. She appeared on the cover of both and was featured in an article in both issues. When they were released on newsstands, I watched lovingly as she eagerly snipped out the pictures and articles to add to the baby book she had started for our son or daughter. We did not find out the baby's gender. Bella loved surprises and she said there would never be a better surprise in life than the moment that baby enters the world and changes our lives forever. I agreed and we had fun picking out unisex colors to paint the nursery and deciding on two different names.

During her pregnancy, all of our tour mates kept in touch. Rose and Irina visited monthly, bringing Emmett and Jacob along with them. During their visit in August, Rose walked up to Bella with a bashful smile and held out her left hand to reveal a sparkling engagement ring. The girls squealed and hugged as I grinned and shook Emmett's hand congratulating him.

Jasper and Alice only visited twice, although Bella spoke on the phone with them weekly. They had moved in together over the summer. During their visits, Jasper was civil toward me but quiet and mostly focused on his sister. The girls threw Bella a baby shower in October and the countdown was on for her November 1 due date.

It was November 3 and Bella was _very_ pregnant. Her back was beginning to hurt and she was anxious for the big day. I was trying my best to stay cool but I was on edge, jumping anytime she would call my name or show any type of discomfort.

Bella went into labor around 2:00 PM on Saturday, November 5. She went to our room to take a nap but was only lying down for about 10 minutes when I heard her call out,

"Edward!"

I came running down the hallway and burst into the room. Her eyes were wide and she was sitting in a big wet spot on the bed where her water had broken. "Ready to go?" She asked me nervously with her hand holding her round belly. My heart sped up and I smiled from ear to ear.

Bella's mom rushed to the hospital and Jasper and Alice drove the two and a half hours from their home in Olympia. She was in labor for about 7 hours. At 9:15 PM, I walked into the waiting room where Renee, Jasper, and Alice all stood up excitedly.

"It's a boy!" I announced. Renee ran up to me and hugged me with tears running down her face. Alice was jumping up and down clapping her hands.

I held out my hand to Jasper. "Congratulations Uncle." I said to him.

I gasped when he grabbed my hand and pulled me into a hug. "Congratulations daddy." He said as we embraced, patting my back firmly.

Bella did beautifully delivering him. She pushed for 30 minutes and I cried for the second time that year when they laid him crying and squirming on her chest and I cut the umbilical cord. We named the baby Charlie, after Bella's father. Bella insisted his middle name be Edward. Charlie Edward Cullen was 7 pounds, 6 ounces, 22 inches long and 100 percent healthy.

Renee was deeply touched to learn the baby's name and it seemed as if her and Bella's relationship reached a major turning point since her father's death. Jasper spoiled his nephew rotten and started visiting two or three times a month, always bringing more and more gifts for Charlie. It was safe to say that our relationship was mended and we both had an appreciation and respect for one another now.

Bella was a natural mommy. She was loving, calm, patient, and instinctive, always knowing exactly what to do to meet the baby's needs.

I proposed to Bella one snowy afternoon in February while we sat in our warm living room with a fire crackling in the fireplace. I was admiring how beautiful Bella looked while nursing our son in the glider rocking chair I bought her as a baby gift. She was wearing her music note pendant necklace. It hung just above Charlie's chubby little cheeks as he nursed happily from his mama.

Bella looked up at me, "Sweetie, could you please grab me the green pacifier from the kitchen? He'll probably want it when he's done eating."

I stood up and went into the kitchen. I pulled the ring from my pocket and placed it over the silicone mouth piece on the pacifier. I walked back into the living room and stood in front of Bella. I handed her the pacifier. She reached for it and froze with a gasp when she saw the ring. I got down on one knee.

"Around this time last year, you told me something that would change our lives forever. You told me we were going to be a mother and a father. Now it's time for us to be husband and wife. Bella, will you do me the honor of being my wife?"

The tears were streaming down her smiling face as she clutched our son to her chest. "Yes, yes Edward I will."

The End

**Chapter end notes: Well that's where I'll end the story! I know many of you will wonder what the future holds. I will leave that up to you and your imagination. In my head, Bella finds a balance between having a music career and being a mommy and a wife. Maybe they'll take the baby on tour! Maybe she'll only perform occasionally and focus more on her family-life. Feel free to tell me how you see her future unfolding! I would love to hear lots of different perspectives.**

**What was your favorite part of the story? Did you have a favorite chapter, a favorite scene, a favorite line? Did anything make you particularly emotional? I always love feedback on specific details within the story, so please review and tell me everything that's on your mind! Make it as long or as short as you want it.**

**I will respond to you as always, and for those readers who disable the response feature, I have been getting your reviews and I want to thank you for all of them! These reviews mean the world to me and I love you all for taking the time to read and respond.**

**I'm not sure if I will write outtakes. I'd like to if I have time, but I'm not exactly sure when, so keep me on alert and I may pop in and surprise you with an outtake in Bella's POV! ;)**

**THANK YOU to everyone who's read! It's been so much fun!**

**Yours truly,**

**Lindsay**


End file.
